Woods’ lowest total pays big

ATLANTA -- Tiger Woods is the only one who could make it happen. Record books and bank accounts would stroll arm in arm down golf’s lush green fairways, where victories and their financial rewards pile up in perfect harmony.

They came close enough Sunday. Woods converted East Lake Country Club into his private banking branch, and the setting where he completed a rare and historic double.

Not only did Woods pound the place with a four-under-par 66 to win the $7-million Tour Championship in an eight-shot runaway over Mark Calcavecchia and Zach Johnson, but he also won the first FedEx Cup and the $10-million bonus that goes along with it.

That bonus isn’t paid out in cash, but it’s deposited into a deferred retirement account that Woods can reach into when he’s 45. After what Woods accomplished during the week at East Lake, sentiment is probably growing among his peers that such a day come sooner rather than later.

His payday Sunday: $11.26 million.

“You don’t look at the prize money, you play and you play to win, period,” Woods said. “That’s how my dad raised me. You go out there and win. If you win, everything will take care of itself. You take great pride on what you do on the golf course.”

Woods had rounds of 64-63-64-66 for a 23-under total of 257 that was the lowest of his career. It also matched the third-lowest in PGA Tour history.

It has been an exceedingly hot stretch for Woods, even by his lofty standards.

In his last five tournaments, beginning at the Bridgestone, Woods won four of them, tied for second in the other, shot a total of 75 under and earned $6.65 million. He has made a career-high $10.86 million this year and $76.5 million in 11 full years on the PGA Tour.

His seventh victory in 2007 is his 61st on the PGA Tour. He needs one more to tie Arnold Palmer for fourth place all-time.

“He’s the king,” Woods said. “To even be in the same breath as Arnold Palmer you know you’ve done something special.”

Woods has played 52 tournaments in the last three years and won 21 of them. He won seven of 16 this year and eight of 15 last year.

This one wasn’t close for very long. Woods started with a three-shot lead over Calcavecchia and dropped a shot when he missed the green at the second and made a bogey.

But after Woods saved par by getting a nine-footer to drop into the hole at the third, which he called the key to his round, he started saying goodbye to everyone else.

At the 200-yard par-three sixth, Woods knocked it to three feet and made the birdie putt. He also birdied the eighth, rolling in a five-footer to move to 20 under, and then made another birdie at the par-five ninth, where he knocked a 313-yard drive, wound up chipping to six feet and made the putt.

Woods hit his second shot through the green, while Sergio Garcia and Johnson were still on it, but he said he never thought he’d hit it that far and wound up apologizing to both players later.

Woods birdied the 13th when he made a 10-foot putt and all but ended the tournament early at the 434-yard 14th. After a 322-yard drive, Woods hit it to three feet, made the birdie putt, moved to 23 under and held an eight-shot lead.

The only question was who would wind up second. Johnson caught Calcavecchia at 15 under with a 68, when Calcavecchia shot two over on the back and finished at one-over 71. But no one came close to Woods.

“He never ceases to amaze me,” Johnson said. “He’s hard to describe.”

Remember Woody Austin? Close enough to Woods to play beside him in Saturday’s last pairing, Austin wound up 16 shots behind Woods. But that was only one of the curiosities in the FedEx Cup’s debut.

As it turns out, Woods could have skipped the Tour Championship, just as he did the Barclays, and still won the FedEx Cup.

That’s because none of his closest pursuers -- neither Steve Stricker nor Phil Mickelson nor Rory Sabbatini -- made any kind of move at East Lake.

There have been some changes suggested in the points for next year and that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering that the top six players in the standings at the start of the East Lake tournament remained the top six in the standings at the end.

Stricker’s 67 made for a nice payday, earning a $3-million bonus for second place in the FedEx Cup. Stricker won at the Barclays, the first playoff and the one that Woods missed. Stricker had top-10 finishes in the first three of the playoffs, tied for 17th Sunday and made $140,000 more.

Mickelson earned a $2-million bonus for third place in the FedEx Cup playoffs but was 20th at the tournament. He made $134,400.

Mickelson said of his week: “Oh, not so great.”

Stricker said that when Woods took the week off at Barclays, it gave him an opening.

“Too bad he didn’t take another one off, really. It gives other players the opportunity. But obviously he knows what’s best for him, and it surely didn’t hurt his chances. I guess he got away with taking one off and played well in the other three.”

As for Stricker, his last two years have propelled him back into golf’s hierarchy when he seemed lost. He began 2006 ranked 337th, but he’s up to fifth now.

But as far as the FedEx Cup, the emphasis has been reserved for No. 1, Woods.

“I wish Phil or I could have been up there and challenged Tiger a little more, but he’s played really good,” Stricker said.

“I’ve never seen anybody putt as good as he does. And when he does hit a foul ball, he’s so strong out of the rough that he can muscle it up on the green. Just when you think he’s going to make a bogey or something, he ends up holing out of the bunker or making a 30- or 40-footer, whatever. He’s just tough.”

No one putted better or hit more greens in regulation than Woods, and he had 29 birdies and an eagle in 72 holes. Woods birdied every hole at least once, except the 10th and 17th.

Put it all together, that’s tough to beat, and for four days at East Lake, no one did.

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thomas.bonk@latimes.com