ATLANTA - He's just too good, plain and simple.
After dominating golf for the last decade, Tiger Woods yesterday began the domination of a new era in the game, the era of the FedEx Cup.
Touring East Lake Golf Club with a 4-under 66, Woods posted a four-day total of 257 (23 under), a mark that earned him his second Tour Championship by 8 shots. His 72-hole total was the lowest in his career, matching the third-lowest total in PGA Tour history. He broke the tournament record by 6 strokes.
Besides the $1.26 million check for his 61st win - one victory shy of Arnold Palmer all-time - Woods captured the much-hyped inaugural FedEx Cup with its $10 million deferred payment. That booty, which goes into his retirement account, could more than triple before he is eligible to begin collecting it at 45.
"I don't look at what the purse is or the prize money," Woods said. "When you play, you play to win, period. That's how my dad raised me."
More than the riches, what Woods' recent stretch of four wins and a tie for second in his last five tournaments has done is demonstrate once again the staggering gulf he has put between himself and every other golfer in the world, maybe in history.
At the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, Woods skipped the first tournament, the Barclays in Westchester, N.Y., giving his competition a head start.
"The man is a freak of nature," said Masters champion Zach Johnson, who shot 68 yesterday and finished second, along with Mark Calcavecchia, both at 15 under par. "He never ceases to amaze me."
Johnson jokingly lamented that the FedEx Cup only gives Woods another motivation, another goal, as if he needed one. "He's a very driven man," Johnson said. "Why give him another thing to try to achieve? I mean, really."
Of course, this week was about more than the Tour Championship. It was the conclusion of the first FedEx Cup race. When they arrived at East Lake, only four players in the 30-man field had a mathematical chance to overtake Woods, who ranked first in points.
After last night, the top six remained exactly as they were, with Steve Stricker in second ($3 million), Phil Mickelson third ($2 million), Rory Sabbatini fourth ($1.5 million), K.J. Choi fifth ($1 million) and Aaron Baddeley sixth ($800,000).
