Even in another landslide victory, Tiger Woods conceded nothing. He already was 8 up with nine holes to play and headed for the record books at the World Matchplay Championship when Stewart Cink finally got his moment in the high desert, holing a 36-foot eagle putt, pumping his fist in mock celebration.Then he stood to the side of the green as Woods faced an eagle putt from the same line, about a foot closer. “I told my caddie before he hit it that it was going in,” Cink said. “He doesn’t like to be upstaged in any way.”Alas, this putt spun around the lip and stayed out. Having raised his putter over his head, Woods cringed and let the club fall through his finger, and both players laughed and tapped fists. It was that moment Sunday at Dove Mountain that illustrated where Woods is on the world stage of golf. His expectations have never been higher. His game has never been stronger. Woods closed out Cink on the next hole with a wedge that climbed over a bunker and spun back to 2 feet, his 14th birdie in 29 holes in his 8-and-7 victory, the largest margin in the tournament’s 10-year history.It was his 63rd career victory, moving him past Arnold Palmer into fourth place alone on the PGA Tour’s career list. He won for the 15th time in these World Golf Championships, earning more money in 26 starts than Tom Lehman has earned in 438 starts in his PGA Tour career.Each victory moves him closer to the game’s greatest players. Ben Hogan is next on the list with 64 victories, then Jack Nicklaus at 73 and Sam Snead at the top with 82.Snead is safe. Woods plays no more than 17 times a year, so even if he runs the tables, he can’t catch him this year. Woods has thrived on the world stage, and his 15-for-26 mark in these events is hard to fathom. Fred Couples has won 15 times in his entire PGA career.This was his fourth straight PGA Tour victory, fifth worldwide. When he arrives at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his next start, it will have been six months he last entered a tournament without winning.Match Play might have been the biggest hurdle. Woods considers it the toughest tournament to win this side of a major.“I played 117 holes this week,” Woods said. “I could have easily played 16 and then been home. That’s the fickleness of match play.”But in those 117 holes, he managed 47 birdies and two eagles. The hard part was getting to the finals. Once the round began Sunday morning in the crisp air north of Tucson, Woods settled into his role as a world-beater. He won five of the first 11 holes and took a 4-up lead into the afternoon round. Then he ran off three straight birdies, and the rout was on.Cink made Woods sound like a machine. “I think maybe we ought to slice him open to see what’s inside,” Cink said. “Maybe nuts and bolts.” 8 out of 9, with one near-miss!Woods’s results in his last nine appearances:August 2007 •Wins WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Akron, Ohio • Wins US PGA Championship, Tulsa, Oklahoma September 2007 • Ties for second place at Deutsche Bank Championship, Norton, Massachusetts • Wins BMW Championship, Lemont, Illinois• Wins Tour Championship, Atlanta, Georgia December 2007 • Wins Target World Challenge, Thousand Oaks, California* January 2008 • Wins Buick Invitational, San Diego, California February 2008 • Wins Dubai Desert Classic, Dubai • Wins WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Marana, Arizona denotes unofficial tournament
