GOLF/British Open: This one was for his dad. Tiger Woods, the world's greatest golfer, had shown no weakness - mental or physical - all day, until his last putt, the 270th stroke of the championship, fell into the tin cup on the 18th green at Royal Liverpool to ensure that he retained the claret jug as British Open champion.

Then it all came home to him. The well of emotion erupted, and tears streamed down Woods' face. When he'd won his previous 10 majors, his father, Earl, his mentor and guiding light, had been on hand to share the joy. This time, as his caddie, Steve Williams, indicated by pointing to the heavens above this parched terrain on Merseyside, Woods Snr had a different view of his son's superiority over the golfing world.

The tears wouldn't stop, and Woods threw his arms around his friend and bagman Williams and used the giant New Zealander as a comforter.

"I've never done that (before). With all the things we've gone through of late . . .," said Woods, whose father died in May.

"I guess I'm the kind of one who bottles things up a little bit and moves on, tries to deal with things in my own way. But, at that moment, it just came pouring out; of all the things my father has meant to me and the game of golf."

Yesterday, as he has done so frequently in his still-young career, Woods proved to be the master. His 11th major win moved him up to second, alongside Walter Hagen, in the all-time list of major winners and moved him closer to the record 18 held by Jack Nicklaus. It was a performance of clinical precision, his final round 67 giving him a 72-hole total of 270, 18-under, and a two-stroke winning margin over his American Ryder Cup team-mate Chris DiMarco.

It was an emotional day, too, for DiMarco, whose mother, Norma, died just three weeks ago. "I know how my mom would be very proud of me right now. One, for playing well; but, two, just because that's how she was. I miss her and I love her and I have great memories of her. That's the hardest part, to know I'll never see her again."

DiMarco may not have won, but he had the consolation of a runner-up finish that enabled him to move from 21st to sixth in the US Ryder Cup standings and confirm his place in the team for the match at The K Club in September.

On a day when the wind accentuated the challenge of a parched links, DiMarco was the only player to make life difficult for Woods. But even he failed to chase down golf's most dominant player. In the end, Woods could afford the luxury of a par on the last hole to win a title he claimed meant more to him than his previous British Open successes, both of which came at St Andrews (in 2000 and 2005).

"Basically, to win your first tournament after your father has passed away, and for it to be a major championship, makes it that bit more special," he explained.

"I miss my dad so much. I wish he could have been here as he thoroughly enjoyed watching me grinding out major championships.

"He was out there today keeping me calm. I had a very calm feeling all week, especially today," he said.

"Walking down the last hole I had a chance to enjoy this moment. After my last putt I realised my dad's never going to see this again. I wish he could have seen this one last time."

Woods, who stuck with a strategy that saw him use the driver just once in 72 holes, said his father would have been "very, very proud" of the way that he stuck to his game plan. "He was always on my case about thinking my way around the golf course and not letting emotions get the better of you, because it is very easy to do in this sport, and just to use your mind to plot your way around the golf course and, if you had to deviate from the game plan, to make sure it is the right decision to do that. He was very adamant I play like that my entire playing career.

"With the golf course being this fast, it lent itself to just amazing creativity . . . these were the most difficult pins I've ever seen at an Open championship. The only defence they had was pin locations and hard, dry conditions."

So, Woods' performance, the manner in which he kept his focus, the way he hit one perfect shot after another, was an example to everyone in sport.

Were you watching Zinedine Zindane? Were you watching children of the world? This is how a sporting icon behaves. Not by head-butting someone in the chest, but by playing sport to its maximum and getting the maximum out of it.

Oh, and grown men can cry too. It's okay to cry, Tiger. It's okay to be human.