Woods cruises to record sixth Grand Slam

It was a familiar sight at the 18th green with Woods wearing the winner’s floral lei, surrounded by hula dancers and posing with the huge Grand Slam trophy.

"I feel very comfortable here,” said Woods, who pocketed $400,000 and finished with a 13-under 131 total.

Mickelson, the PGA champion, shot a 68 to earn $250,000. U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell had a 70 to finish 12 strokes back, collecting $200,000. Vijay Singh was another stroke behind after a 69. He took home $150,000.

Woods was never seriously threatened. He opened with a 67 for a three-stroke lead over Mickelson, and quickly widened the gap to five with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3.

He finished with two eagles, five birdies and a bogey in relatively calm conditions on the oceanside 7,123-yard Poipu Bay Golf Course.

"Tiger was so far ahead, you couldn’t stop him,” Campbell said.

On the 573-yard sixth hole, Woods split the fairway with a 344-yard drive and hit a 5-iron, to set up a 55-foot, uphill putt that curled to the left and dropped into the cup. The large gallery, packed five deep around the green, roared as Woods sheepishly grinned.

On the par-5 14th, Woods drove 293 yards into the wind and blasted a 3-wood from 244 yards out onto the green that left him with a 12-footer for eagle.

"I absolutely flushed it,” Woods said. "It was just one of those shots: You envision it, then you kind of see it and when you pull it off, it just makes it that much more special.”

Woods also barely missed a 65-foot eagle putt on the final hole after a booming 360-yard drive followed by a soft 7-iron shot that stuck on the green.

"It’s more luck than anything else. It really is,” he said.

Luck or no luck, Woods has dominated Poipu like no other. The last person to beat him here was Ernie Els in 1997, which was Woods’ debut in the event after winning the Masters.

"You play enough times, you feel very familiar with the golf course,” he said.

Woods showed no signs of a virus that caused him to vomit during the opening round and miss Monday’s pro-am, or the ankle he twisted while successfully defending his Dunlop Phoenix title last weekend in Japan.

He said the ankle was a little sore, but he wasn’t planning on running any time soon.

Woods won six times on tour this year, including the Masters and British Open, and finished atop the money list with more than $10 million. He last qualified for Kauai in 2002, earning his fifth straight Grand Slam title.

Mickelson, who had a 13-under 59 to win the Grand Slam by five strokes over Singh last year, birdied Nos. 5, 6 and 8 to cut Woods’ lead to three strokes at the turn. But Mickelson’s tee shot landed in the pond on the 193-yard 11th, and Woods birdied the hole to take a six-shot advantage, virtually sealing the win.

Lefty said he wasn’t too disappointed with his finish, considering he hadn’t touched a club in five weeks.

"For the most part, I didn’t have too many big mistakes, kept it on the course, was able to finish second, but never really had a serious challenge to the lead,” he said.

Campbell had a shaky start and struggled on the tricky greens in his Poipu debut, but managed three birdies on his bogey-free back nine to finish the tournament under par.

He used the Grand Slam to get a close look at the top golfers in the world.

"I think you always try to compare yourself with the world’s best,” Campbell said. "It’s nice to be in the company of these fine players and learn once again. I’m always learning off these guys.”

The New Zealander was a local favorite this week in his first trip to the islands.

"It’s the Polynesian connection between the Maori and the Hawaiians,” he said. "It’s like playing at home.”

Singh, selected as an alternate in the event based on his performance in this year’s majors, couldn’t make a serious move after his disastrous quadruple bogey Tuesday on the 193-yard 11th.

"I need some work, looking how Tiger played,” said Singh, who spends hours at the gym and range every day.

All four players are expected to square off again to begin next season at the Mercedes Championship on Maui.<