Chicago:
Tiger Woods cruised to victory in the BMW Championship, his sixth triumph of 2009 putting him back atop the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup rankings going into the Tour Championship.
Woods, who took control of the 7.5 million-dollar tournament with a course record 62 on Saturday, started the day with a seven-shot lead and didn't let anyone move closer than six shots.
Woods's 71st career victory put him two behind Jack Nicklaus for second on the PGA Tour's all-time list. And Woods equalled Sam Snead with his sixth season with at least six titles.
The world number one carded a three-under final round of 68 for 19-under 265 to beat Australian Marc Leishman and Jim Furyk by eight strokes on Sunday.
Furyk shot a 66 for 273 while Leishman notched a 69. It was a further shot back to Sean O'Hair, who shot a 66 for 274.
It was Woods's fifth victory at Cog Hill, and his 10th US PGA Tour victory by at least eight strokes.
Behind Woods, players scrambled for the top 30 places in the playoff standings and a berth in the Tour Championship in two weeks, where the playoff series titlist will be crowned with a 10 million-dollar payout at stake.
"It felt like we had a tournament within a tournament," Furyk said. "Tiger was seven ahead. He was kind of running away. It was kind of a tournament for second place."
Furyk's performance saw him jump 15 places in the standings to number three, putting him in the running to win the series with a victory at the Tour Championship.
Leishman, whose eagle at the final hole of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday saw him squeeze into the field for this tournament, booked his first trip to the Tour Championship.
There was heartbreak for Brandt Snedeker, who needed only a bogey at the 18th hole to secure the 30th spot. He missed a 12-foot attempt for par, then stunningly missed a three-footer for bogey. Snedeker was so shocked he missed two more putts en route to a triple bogey.
"I can't believe I did this," Snedeker said.
That let Australian John Senden capture the 30th spot by a fraction of a point over England's Ian Poulter, although both had their problems, including Senden's double-bogey at 17.
But the Aussie finished with 1,532.41 points, while Poulter, who found the water with his approach at 18, has 1,531.95.
Woods, meanwhile, returned to his winning ways after surrendering a final-round lead to South Korean Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship.
Woods did bogey the fifth, where he missed the fairway and was unable to convert a 10-footer to save par.
At the ninth, Woods was in the trees on the right off the tee. He sent a three-iron low through a gap under the branches but ended up near another tree.
He curved his shot around the obstacle and made a 15-footer for birdie.
Woods added an eagle at the par-five 15th.
Now the playoff points will be re-set for the Tour Championship. As top seed Woods will start with 2,500 points, to the 2,250 of second-seeded Steve Stricker.
"I am pleased," Woods said. "I hit the ball well this week, made a few putts. Overall, this entire week I was very consistent and I ended up on top."
Woods, who took control of the 7.5 million-dollar tournament with a course record 62 on Saturday, started the day with a seven-shot lead and didn't let anyone move closer than six shots.
Woods's 71st career victory put him two behind Jack Nicklaus for second on the PGA Tour's all-time list. And Woods equalled Sam Snead with his sixth season with at least six titles.
The world number one carded a three-under final round of 68 for 19-under 265 to beat Australian Marc Leishman and Jim Furyk by eight strokes on Sunday.
Furyk shot a 66 for 273 while Leishman notched a 69. It was a further shot back to Sean O'Hair, who shot a 66 for 274.
It was Woods's fifth victory at Cog Hill, and his 10th US PGA Tour victory by at least eight strokes.
Behind Woods, players scrambled for the top 30 places in the playoff standings and a berth in the Tour Championship in two weeks, where the playoff series titlist will be crowned with a 10 million-dollar payout at stake.
"It felt like we had a tournament within a tournament," Furyk said. "Tiger was seven ahead. He was kind of running away. It was kind of a tournament for second place."
Furyk's performance saw him jump 15 places in the standings to number three, putting him in the running to win the series with a victory at the Tour Championship.
Leishman, whose eagle at the final hole of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday saw him squeeze into the field for this tournament, booked his first trip to the Tour Championship.
There was heartbreak for Brandt Snedeker, who needed only a bogey at the 18th hole to secure the 30th spot. He missed a 12-foot attempt for par, then stunningly missed a three-footer for bogey. Snedeker was so shocked he missed two more putts en route to a triple bogey.
"I can't believe I did this," Snedeker said.
That let Australian John Senden capture the 30th spot by a fraction of a point over England's Ian Poulter, although both had their problems, including Senden's double-bogey at 17.
But the Aussie finished with 1,532.41 points, while Poulter, who found the water with his approach at 18, has 1,531.95.
Woods, meanwhile, returned to his winning ways after surrendering a final-round lead to South Korean Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship.
Woods did bogey the fifth, where he missed the fairway and was unable to convert a 10-footer to save par.
At the ninth, Woods was in the trees on the right off the tee. He sent a three-iron low through a gap under the branches but ended up near another tree.
He curved his shot around the obstacle and made a 15-footer for birdie.
Woods added an eagle at the par-five 15th.
Now the playoff points will be re-set for the Tour Championship. As top seed Woods will start with 2,500 points, to the 2,250 of second-seeded Steve Stricker.
"I am pleased," Woods said. "I hit the ball well this week, made a few putts. Overall, this entire week I was very consistent and I ended up on top."
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
