Tiger Woods completed his 36-hole victory march here on Sunday when he convincingly won the Open championship with a final round two-under 70. The world number one finished 14-under for the tournament and five clear of his nearest rival - Colin Montgomerie.
But the tournament was all but over on Friday night when Woods opened with a 66 and 67 to lead after 36 holes. He has never lost a Major when he led after two rounds.
It was a stunning display of controlled golf on Sunday by Woods as he repeated his 2000 victory here to take his Major tally to 10.
Woods began the day with a two shot lead and knew that as long as he played par golf the chasing pack would have to come after him.
Seven players began the day with a serious chance of catching Woods but in the end there was only one that could muster the effort - Montgomerie.
But the tournament all but ended when Woods birdied the par four 12th and Montgomerie, playing in the group in front bogeyed the 13th.
In a second the two hole gap Woods held over the Scotsman had turned to four and Woods does not give up a four shot lead with six holes left - he stretches it.
As he walked onto the 16th green to a massive reception from the fans packed around it he now led by six.
The much anticipated challenge from Woods playing partner Jose-Maria Olazabal, Brad Faxon, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell, never materialised.
Faxon's charge came to a grinding halt at the first when he dumped his approach into the burn guarding the front of the green.
The 43-year-old ran up a double bogey six to slip back to six-under and left to rue what might have been.
Singh appeared poised to make a charge when he birdied the first but then his driving went awry, his putter began to fail and the world number two was never a factor.
Woods victory was already ordained by the golfing Gods before the championship began.
FINAL ROUND SCORES: (a - denotes amateur) (7279 yards - Par 72) (70 out of 80 golfers have completed their third rounds) 280 - Fred Couples (USA) 68-71-73-68
281 - Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 71-74-67-69, Bernhard Langer (GER) 71-69-70-71
282 - Graeme McDowell (NIR) 69-72-74-67, Ian Poulter (ENG) 70-72-71-69, Nick Faldo (ENG) 74-69-70-69, Kenny Perry (USA) 71-71-68-72
283 - David Frost (RSA) 77-65-72-69, Nick O'Hern (AUS) 73-69-71-70, Mark Hensby (AUS) 67-77-69-70, Lloyd Saltman (SCO-a) 73-71-68-71, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 68-70-73-72, John Daly (USA) 71-69-70-73, Sean O'Hair (USA) 73-67-70-73, Darren Clarke (NIR) 73-70-67-73
284 - Eric Ramsay (SCO -a) 68-74-74-68, Tom Lehman (USA) 75-69-70-70, Tadahiro Takayama (JPN) 72-72-70-70, Scott Drummond (SCO) 74-71-69-70, Nicholas Flanagan (AUS) 73-71-69-71, Scott Verplank (USA) 68-70-72-74, Bart Bryant (USA) 69-70-71-74, Tim Clark (RSA) 71-69-70-74
285 - Richard Green (AUS) 72-68-72-73, Sandy Lyle (SCO) 74-67-69-75
286 - Joe Ogilvie (USA) 74-70-73-69, Ernie Els (RSA) 74-67-75-70, Thomas Levet (FRA) 69-71-75-71, Peter Hanson (SWE) 72-72-71-71, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 74-67-73-72, Simon Dyson (ENG) (70-71-72-73), Adam Scott (AUS) 70-71-70-75
287 - Paul McGinley (IRL) 70-75-73-69, Simon Khan (ENG) 69-70-78-70, Tom Watson (USA) 75-70-70-72, Hiroyuki Fujita (ESP) 72-68-74-73, Steve Webster (ENG) 71-72-71-73, KJ Choi (KOR) 75-68-71-73, Tim Herron (USA) 73-72-68-74, Stuart Appleby (AUS) 72-68-72-75, Bob Tway (USA) 69-71-72-75
288 - Justin Leonard (USA) 73-71-75-69, Luke Donald (ENG) 68-73-77-70, Paul Lawrie (SCO) 72-71-75-70, Robert Allenby (AUS) 70-68-79-71, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 69-72-76-71, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 73-68-75-72, Fredrik Jacobsen (SWE) 71-70-72-75, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 72-67-73-76
289 - Tino Schuster (GER) 68-74-74-73, Mark Calcavecchia (USA) 70-73-73-73, John Bickerton (ENG) 75-70-71-73, Edoardo Molinari (ITA -a) 70-70-74-75, Phil Mickelson (USA) 74-67-72-76, Greg Norman (AUS) 72-71-70-76
290 - Peter Lonard (AUS) 68-70-77-75
291 - Duffy Waldorf (USA) 74-68-81-68, Robert Rock (ENG) 73-71-75-72, Chris Riley (USA) 68-73-75-75, Chris DiMarco (USA) 75-69-71-76, Pat Perez (USA) 72-70-72-77, David Smail (NZL) 73-72-69-77
292 - Patrik Sjoland (SWE) 74-71-76-71
293 - Ted Purdy (USA) 72-72-77-72, Scott Gutschewski (USA) 76-69-75-73, SK Ho (KOR) 73-71-72-77
294 - Steve Flesch (USA) 74-70-72-78
296 - Graeme Storm (ENG) 75-70-80-71, Rod Pampling (AUS) 74-71-71-80
297 - Matthew Richardson (ENG -a) 75-69-77-76.
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