ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – When it ended Sunday evening on the Old Course at St. Andrews' 18th green, the No. 1 player in the world, Tiger Woods, embraced No. 2 David Duval.
At that moment, they could not have been closer, yet so far apart. Woods had just dusted the 129th British Open field by eight shots and buried his alleged main rival, Duval, by 12.
When it ended, when Woods had earned the cherished claret jug and become the youngest golfer to achieve the career grand slam, the 24-year-old whose flawless performance seemed anything but normal, showed he was human.
"You're a true champion," Woods later said he told Duval. "It was a lot of fun competing against you. Walk off like a champion."
This, apparently, is what major championship golf has come to. Woods shatters records, rewrites history, demolishes rivals, then kills them with kindness.
In a span of five weeks, Woods has won the U.S. Open and British Open by a combined 23 shots. The last player to win those two majors in the same year, Tom Watson in 1982, did so by a combined three shots.
In a matter of three years, Woods has set scoring records in three major tournaments, on three of the world's most revered courses: 18 under at Augusta National, 12 under at Pebble Beach Golf Club, now 19 under at St. Andrews.
"I couldn't care less about the record," Woods said of Nick Faldo's 18 under total, set during the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews. "All I wanted was four straight rounds in the 60s.
"That was something I did not do at Pebble Beach and I did not do at Augusta."
Woods accomplished his goal by shooting 67-66-67-69 at par-72 St. Andrews. He entered Sunday with a six-shot lead over Duval and Thomas Bjorn and was never seriously threatened.
In their long-anticipated No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup, Duval pulled within three shots after seven holes but ultimately caved to a 75 - climaxed ignominiously by a quadruple-bogey eight on No. 17, the famous Road Hole.
It was Woods' long-ball prowess that made him the overwhelming pre-tournament favorite, but it was his consistent and, yes, conservative game plan on the ancient links that proved the difference.
He recorded two bogeys all week, the only bogeys he has committed in 98 major championship holes dating to the third round at Pebble.
"Well, I think it was a spectacular performance to say the least," Duval said. "He simply did not make the mistakes and capitalized on the holes you would expect him to capitalize."
And what of St. Andrews' 112 bunkers, the ones that were made steeper for this championship and gave many of the contenders fits? No one could recall Woods hitting into a bunker this week. In fact, he did not.
"A bunker?" Woods said with a sheepish grin. "I was in a bunker every day. I've been there, but it was on the practice green."
With Woods in cruise control, Duval and everyone else who was playing for second needed a perfect day to catch Woods. Duval's hopes were hurt when he missed a two-foot birdie putt on No. 5 and a 15-foot birdie on 10.
The latter miss, coupled with a 12-foot Woods birdie, pushed Woods' lead to four.
"I've been very fortunate to have my game peak at the right times," Woods said of his major championship success. "That's what you try to do. I've always said you would like to have your game peak at four different times a year, and that's something you hope and wish and plan for.
"To actually have it happen is a different story."
Here is another sign of the times in major championship golf. Ernie Els on Sunday made history when he tied for second. He is the first player to finish second, or tie for second, in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. Will anyone remember?
"I'm playing a different tournament and Tiger plays his own event," Els said. "You know, I guess I could play as good as I can this week, but I wasn't going to win."
It is a sobering reality, with no hint things will change anytime soon. Sunday's victory was Woods' 13th in his last 23 PGA Tour starts and the 17th in the last 30.
"In one way, it is incredible to watch a guy play so much better than the rest of the world," Els said. "And in another way, it's tough to sit down here and talk about him every time. I might have to get used to it."
