The golfing gods have no mercy. Yesterday, for the 10th time, Tiger Woods was the chosen one in a major championship and Colin Montgomerie, seeking a maiden major victory and with Scottish saltire headcovers on his clubs in a plea for benevolence, was again the spurned one as the world's number one reclaimed the claret jug in the 134th British Open championship over the Old Course at St Andrews.

Of course, history favoured Woods in pursuit of his seemingly rightful place as golf's modern sovereign.

This was the 42nd time he carried a lead or a share of it into the final round of a tournament and the 37th time he managed to get the job done. On this occasion, a final round 70 for 274, 14 under par, gave him a five-stroke winning margin over runner-up Montgomerie, with Fred Couples and Jose Maria Olazabal a shot further back in tied-third.

This day, though, was to belong to Woods and no one else. With the clock on the R&A clubhouse edging past six o'clock, Woods completed the final act, tapping in a short putt for par on the 18th to take his second major title of the season, following his Masters triumph in April, and the congratulatory wishes of his playing partner, Olazabal, who, like Monty, had set out in what was to prove a vain pursuit.

This victory was emphatic. Unlike a couple of occasions in Saturday's third round, when his swing seemed a tad ragged and he was twice forced to take penalty drops from gorse, Woods was the essence of calm and coolness as he strode relentlessly towards his latest major victory and what developed into a procession of inevitability over the homeward journey as his closest pursuers lost momentum.

Who really knows if Woods would have faltered if any pressure had been applied down the stretch? Most probably, he would have remained resolute and focused on his task.

Still, the defining moment of this quest for the oldest prize in golf came within a minute: on the 13th hole, Montgomerie missed a six-footer for par and dropped to 10 under; on the 12th, behind the Scot, Olazabal missed a 10-footer for his par and likewise dropped to 10 under, while Woods rolled in an eight-footer for birdie to move to 14 under and four shots clear. In that one minute, the pursuit was effectively ended.

"I didn't know Monty made bogey ahead of me. I didn't know until I got to the 13th green and saw the board . . . it gave me huge momentum," said Woods, who never gave his rivals any opening coming down the stretch.

Indeed, of those in the final seven groups out on the course, Woods was the only player to complete a sub-par final round. And, of the five players closest to him at the start of the day, not only did they all fail to better par, but they were a combined nine over for their day's work.

That statistic, it would seem, bears adequate testimony to the intimidation factor that afflicts others when Woods is the leader.

For many players, yesterday started out with much hope only to end with acknowledgment that Woods, on this course, among others, is supreme.

Although Graeme McDowell covered the homeward run in 31 strokes on the way to a best-of-the-day 67, nobody at the business end of the field could manufacture a similar burst.

Instead, in the main, it was to be a day of disappointment.

For Sergio Garcia, who was put on the back foot by a double-bogey on the 12th, where he pulled his drive into gorse.

Or for Brad Faxon, who suffered a similar fate on the 12th. Or Retief Goosen, who bogeyed three of his opening five holes.

And for Darren Clarke, who started out on the fringes of contention, but only managed a solitary birdie in a round of 73 that left him in tied-15th and a case of what might have been.

On this day, the huge crowd saluted Montgomerie as he walked down the first fairway, and from there on, as if he would be their Braveheart. It wasn't to be.

The Scot had eagle putts on the fifth and ninth that might have transformed the battle into a more meaningful affair, but, by getting to the turn in 33 to the leader's 34, he only managed to stay in touch rather than infiltrate Woods's world.

When Montgomerie bogeyed the 11th and then the 13th, his effort had run its course and the focus became mainly about securing second place, which he did.

Likewise, Olazabal couldn't escape the shadow of Woods. The Spaniard had moved to 11 under for the championship - three behind - by covering the front nine in 35 shots.

When he bogeyed the 12th, however, it was to start a freefall that saw him bogey four of the next six holes, and only a closing birdie for a 74 enabled him to secure a share of third place alongside Couples, who earlier had leapfrogged through the field with a 68.

"I beat everyone else, and it's my best Open finish," remarked Montgomerie, attempting to salvage the best of the situation.

"There's a few people cursing their luck now, a few people who feel they should be major champions.

"But you have to beat Tiger. If he stays fit and healthy, maybe he can achieve the impossible.

"We all know Jack has 18 and Tiger's over half-way now. He's on his way."

Tiger, more than anyone, knows that the chase of Nicklaus's record is on in earnest.