World Matchplay Championship: David Toms crushed Ryder Cup team-mate Chris DiMarco six and five to win the Accenture World Matchplay title in California last night - and with it a cheque for £686,052.
In the fourth successive all-American final Toms, runner-up to Tiger Woods two years ago, simply brushed aside an opponent only two places below him in the world rankings. Now the 38-year-old from Louisiana is back in the top 10 after a weekend's work which had class stamped all over it.
First he knocked out his regular Ryder Cup partner Phil Mickelson, the third seed, and favourite Woods and Vijay Singh had been beaten four and two in the quarter-finals.
Then he overcame England's Ian Poulter three and one in stunning fashion, pitching in for an eagle at the 10th and hitting a five-wood to two feet for another on the next. "I was doing okay until he went mad," said Poulter afterwards. In the final he was one down after eight but incredibly won eight of the next nine holes.
There were some more superb shots in that, but DiMarco covered the stretch in a dismal four over par.
The New Yorker did cut his deficit back to six with a 12-foot birdie putt on the long 18th but when Toms pitched to four feet at the 24th and rolled in a 35-footer on the next he was eight-up with 11 to play.
That became nine with 10 when DiMarco fluffed a chip and ran up a bogey six and although he did win three of the next four an eight-foot birdie putt on the 31st finished things off.
"I don't know what it was but I had a calm about me all week. It is probably the best week of driving I've had," said Toms, who hit a staggering 83 per cent of fairways in seven rounds of golf.
"I've never been this at ease on a course. I felt I could hit every shot no matter what it was. I was not playing great coming in and I can't explain it but I love matchplay, for some reason it gets me really focused."
It was another near-miss for DiMarco, who last season lost a play-off for the US PGA championship and was joint leader of the Masters with Phil Mickelson with a round to go before crashing to a 76 and joint sixth spot.
Despite being in the world's top 20 and a Ryder Cup debutant last September his last US Tour victory was three years ago.
"I've had a lot of chances," he said. "It's hard to win out here." Last year at the Phoenix Open he birdied the first six holes of the back nine but then bogeyed the next two and lost by two.
On the fact that the crowd - and inevitably the television figures - were certain to be down on what they would have been if Woods or Mickelson had been involved DiMarco said: "I don't really care, eight million viewers or two million. I know my parents will be watching. And my wife, so there's three right there."
Toms is realistic about his prospects of making much more of a move up the world rankings. Asked about the "Big Four" of Singh, Woods, Mickelson and Ernie Els he said: "I wouldn't consider myself in that group. What they've done over their careers is pretty impressive. I'm very happy with what I've done with the skills that I have. I think I've achieved a lot."
FINAL: (16) Chris DiMarco (USA) lost to (14) David Toms (USA) 6 and 5 (after 31 holes).(Toms wins £686,052, DiMarco £395,799)
CONSOLATION ROUND: (4) Retief Goosen (Rsa) v (42) Ian Poulter A/S (Brit).
SEMI-FINALS: (16) Chris DiMarco (USA) bt (4) Retief Goosen (Rsa) 2 and 1 (42) Ian Poulter (Brit) lost to (14) David Toms (USA) 3 and 2.
QUARTER-FINALS: (16) Chris DiMarco (USA) bt (8) Stewart Cink (USA) 2 and 1; (4) Retief Goosen (Rsa) bt (44) Robert Allenby (Aus) 4 and 3; (31) Nick O'Hern (Aus) lost to (42); Ian Poulter (Brit) 3 and 1; (14) David Toms (USA) bt (11) Adam Scott (Aus) 2 and 1.
