ATLANTA (AP):

Tiger Woods closed with a 4-under 66 to take an eight-shot victory at East Lake yesterday, capturing the U.S. Tour Championship in record-setting fashion in his seventh title of the season.

Along with winning the Tour Championship and its US$1.26 million prize, Woods was a runaway winner of the FedEx Cup and the US$10 million that goes into his retirement account.

If this was supposed to be the "Super Bowl" of golf, Woods spent most of the final round running out the clock.

He stretched his three-shot lead to five at the turn, and the only drama was whether he would break the 72-hole scoring record on the PGA Tour. He had to settle for a 23-under 257, his career low on tour and breaking the Tour Championship record by six shots.

Masters champion Zach Johnson closed with a 68 and tied for second with Mark Calcavecchia, who shot a 71.

Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson were the only players with a realistic chance of capturing the FedEx Cup, and their hopes were gone by the weekend. Stricker closed with a 67 and wrapped up second place in the PGA Tour Playoffs, giving him a US$3 million retirement boost.