Tiger in a class of his own as he enjoys family life

He then flashed a broad smile and said: "This is just so cool, it really is..."

   The victory on Sunday saw Woods close in on the record of Major wins held by Jack Nicklaus, who won 18 Majors during his career.

 Woods, 31, now has 13 Majors to his name   four more than Nicklaus had at that age and few would bet that the Cypress, California-born superstar will not break Nicklaus' record.

 Although he had to wait for the last Major of the season to continue his run of winning a Major every year since 2005, there was nothing stopping him once he had smelled victory at the end of the second round at the Southern Hills Country Club.

 Throughout the last three rounds, Woods was in complete control and even though Scott Verplank, Woody Austin, Stephen Ames and Ernie Els at times looked like they were going to mount a challenge, they all had nothing to add once Woods upped the tempo.

 His second round on Friday was probably as close to being a perfect round as one would ever see during a Major. After playing seven birdies on the first 17 holes, Woods had a chance to become the first golfer in history to score a round of 62 during a Major.

 He placed his second shot within 25 foot of the flag, giving him a realistic chance of making history and as he saw his putt close in on the hole, he raised his arms in jubilation. But his celebrations were short-lived as the ball practically entered the hole, ran around the rim of the cup and then went out again.

 In frustration, Woods threw his putter to the ground.

 Moments later, he had already found himself and admitted that he thought the ball was heading for history. "I just don't know how that ball came out again. It would have been a nice record to have, but then I suppose 62 and a half is pretty good as well."

   Woods is certainly no newcomer to the world of golfing records.

 Born Eldrick Woods on 30 December 1975, he was given the nickname Tiger by his US Army father Earl   a Vietnam veteran who had already given the nickname to a Vietnamese soldier friend of his.

 He describes his background as Cablinasian (a term he made up from Caucasian, Black, American-Indian, and Asian) and was particularly close to his father, who died in 2006.

 Woods was a real 'wunderkind' and started playing as a two-year- old. A year later, he already went around nine holes and shot a 46. When he was eight, he won the Junior World Golf Championships, a competition for boys a year or two older than he was at the time.

 He turned professional as a 20-year-old and immediately signed endorsements worth 60 million dollars. He won two events in his first three months as a professional after finishing a tied 60th place in his first competition.

 In April 1997, he became the youngest-ever Masters winner and just a few weeks later, he was ranked number one in the world   in only his 42nd week as a professional.

 Since then, records and championships have followed.

 Woods, who in June this year became a father for the first time when his Swedish wife Elin gave birth to daughter Sam Alexis, is one of the highest-paid sportsmen in the world, earning 100 million dollars last year from winnings and endorsements.

 After failing to win one of the first three Majors on offer this season and never being in with a chance during the British Open shortly after Sam Alexis was born, his critics said that his family was keeping his mind off the game and that he was no longer capable of the dominance that has been his trademark.

 Even though he admitted at the British Open that he missed his family, he showed shortly afterwards that he had not lost his taste for victory, winning the 14th World Golf Championships event at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by 8 strokes for his third consecutive and sixth victory overall at the event.

 From there he moved to the PGA and another victory   a victory he described as: "Just so cool, it really is...." as it was achieved in the presence of his wife and child.

 As a family man, Woods seems to be even more at peace with himself than before.

 His opponents are warned!

DPA