MEDINAH, Illinois – No tears, no sweat.
One month after an emotional victory in the British Open, Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship with a ruthless display of efficiency Sunday, closing with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory and his 12th career major.
Now, only Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors stand in the way of Woods' becoming golf's greatest champion.
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Woods started with a 10-foot birdie to seize the lead. He finished with a tap-in par to match his scoring record at the PGA Championship, finishing at 18-under 270 and walking off the 18th green with a broad smile.
That wasn't the case at Hoylake last month, where Woods cried on his caddie's shoulder after winning his first major since his father died in May.
This time, it was another routine celebration. Woods plucked the ball out of the cup and put it in his pocket, thrust his fists in the air and gave a thumbs-up sign as he walked over to pick up the Wanamaker Trophy.
"This is sweet. This is really sweet," he said.
He became the first player to win the PGA Championship twice on the same course, having beaten Sergio Garcia by one shot at Medinah seven years ago.
This one was never close from the start.
Woods twice made birdie putts over 40 feet, and the margin might have been greater had he not aimed for the middle of the green and lagged for par over the closing holes.
Shaun Micheel won the battle for second place, about the only drama on a sunny afternoon outside Chicago.
Even the race for the Ryder Cup fizzled, with no change in the standings.
So much for those worries about Woods after he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
He now has won his last three tournaments, the first time he has done that in five years. And he became the first player in history to go consecutive years winning at least two majors.
Each one moves him that much closer to the 18 majors Nicklaus compiled over 25 years. Woods is at a dozen after only 10 years on the PGA Tour, and there doesn't appear to be anyone capable of stopping him.
Luke Donald was tied for the lead going into the final round at Medinah and didn't make a single birdie, closing with a 74 to finish in a tie for third at 12-under 276 with Adam Scott (67) and Garcia (70).
"He's just too good," Micheel said after a 69, although he never got within five shots of Woods after the fourth hole. "Unless you're at the top of your game, you just can't play with him."
Woods is now 12-0 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead.
"Tiger just doesn't back up," said Steve Stricker, who made a late bid for the Ryder Cup. "He doesn't let anybody get close to him, especially in the last round."
So dominant was this performance that Woods made only three bogeys the entire week, including a harmless one on the par-3 17th hole over Lake Kadijah when he was playing it safe. All that cost him was the scoring record in relation to par. He settled for 18 under, the same score he posted at Valhalla in 2000.
It was the fifth major that Woods won by at least five shots. He now has won his 12 majors by a combined 56 shots, while Nicklaus won his 18 majors by 44 shots.
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