David Toms cruised to victory in the World Golf Championships Match Play final, overpowering fellow American Chris DiMarco 6 and 5 in the 36-hole showdown.
Clutch putting and a superb stretch of ball striking helped Toms dominate his American Ryder Cup teammate and collect $1.3million in first-place prize money.
Toms amazingly, was one down after eight but managed to claim eight of the next nine holes. There were some more superb shots in that but DiMarco was the architect of his own downfall in a stretch that saw him claim a dismal four over par.
DiMarco did cut his deficit back to six with a 12-foot birdie putt on the long 18th but when Toms pitched to four feet at the 24th and rolled in a 35-footer on the next he was eight-up with 11 to play.
That became nine with 10 when DiMarco fluffed a chip and ran up a bogey six and although he did win three of the next four an eight-foot birdie putt on the 31st finished things off.
"I've won a few tournaments along the way but I never felt that type of ease on a golf course," said Toms, who had just four bogeys over 116 holes of play. "I felt really great. I don't know how to explain it. I felt at peace all week."
"I've never been this at ease on a course. I felt I could hit every shot no matter what it was. I was not playing great coming in and I can't explain it but I love match play, for some reason it gets me really focused."
Toms, the 2001 PGA Championship winner, was runner-up to Tiger Woods two years ago and is the only player other than Woods to make the final twice.
The final might have been a runaway, but South African Retief Goosen had to work every step to pull off a narrow victory over England's Ian Poulter in the third-place match.
They halved the final nine holes of the scheduled 18, each making five birdies in a sizzling six-hole stretch, before Goosen won with a birdie at the second extra hole, where he chipped in from 15 feet.
"It was a tough match and we both played well," said the South African, who was unofficially eight-under for 20 holes. "It was good for the confidence after yesterday's disappointments."
Poulter, despite losing, could hardly be disappointed with his performance.
"It was a hell of a match and I'm pleased with how I played," said the Englishman. "I can't do anything about my opponent. We were hitting great shots and holing great putts. It was putt after putt after putt after putt. It was getting funny out there, and he was just making too many birdies."
