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Tiger Woods Easily Captures 12th Major

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- 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.

Woods, who started the day tied with Luke Donald, blew away the competition with a nearly mistake free performance.

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Shaun Micheel finished in second place at 13 under.

Donald had a tough day, shooting a 2-over 74 to finish at 12 under.

Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott also finished at 12 under.

Woods is now 12-0 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead at a major.

Woods, who won the last time the PGA was at Medinah Country Club, opened with a birdie, hitting a 7-iron to 10 feet. He picked up another stroke on the par-5 No. 5, two-putting from 45 feet. He rolled in a 40-footer on No. 6, and it looked as if he knew it was good from the moment he hit it.

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Woods held his putter out while the ball rolled toward the cup, lifting it in triumph when the ball dropped in to take him to 17 under.

But his putt on the par-3 No. 8 might have been the best of the day. The 45-footer got slower and slower as it neared the hole, and swirled around the cup before dropping in. As the crowd roared, Woods gave a little pump of his fist.

That was more than enough to separate himself from the pack. After three days of a scrambled leaderboard and endless birdies, Woods' would-be challengers spent most of the day standing still.

Scott tried to put some pressure on with a strong front nine, but he couldn't keep up the momentum. He played the first four holes of the back nine at even par.

Mike Weir had two birdies on his first five holes. It looked as if he'd pick up another stroke on No. 7 when his long putt caught the edge of the cup. But it refused to drop, and Weir looked away in frustration.

The man who had the best chance to catch Woods was Donald, his playing partner. But the Brit who went to nearby Northwestern and now makes his home in Chicago ran into some bad luck at the most unfortunate of times.

His tee shot on the par-4 No. 4 landed in a muddy divot, and he put his next shot in rough behind the tee. Donald chipped out, but the ball died when it hit the green. He still had a chance to save par, but his putt hit the back edge of the cup and rimmed out. The bogey was his first in 40 holes, dating back to the first round.

Birdie putts lipped out on his next two holes, too.

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