MEDINAH, Ill. — An emotional wreck at Hoylake, a machine at Medinah.

Tiger Woods went from brown fairways to lush greens, from pure irons to perfect putting, from silver claret jug to shiny Wanamaker Trophy.

For all those changes, from one major to the next, this much stayed very much the same:

Woods overwhelmed his competition again yesterday, closing with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory in the PGA Championship, giving him 12 career majors and leaving only Jack Nicklaus and his 18 titles in his way.

It started with a 10-foot birdie on the first hole to take the lead. It ended with a tap-in for par, and a celebration so routine that Woods merely plucked the ball from the cup, stuck it in his pocket, quickly raised both fists and walked off the green with a smile that never left his face.

No tears.

No sweat, either.

One month after his win at the British Open, where he sobbed on his caddie's shoulder while remembering his late father, Woods became the first player in history to go consecutive years winning at least two majors.

"It wasn't the same as Hoylake, maybe just because I was in contention to win a major after my dad passed," Woods said. "It was just a totally different feeling."

But there was no mistaking the result.

Woods built a four-shot lead at the turn and might have broken his scoring record at the PGA Championship if he had been pushed. Instead, he played for the middle of the green and lagged his putts, finishing at 18-under 270.

Along the way, his competition could do nothing but watch.

"He's just too good," said Shaun Micheel, who closed with a 69 and won the battle for second place. "Unless you're at the top of your game, you just can't play with him."

Asked about his father, who died of cancer in May, Woods offered a warm smile and a wisecrack about Pop's first lesson.

"I kept saying all day, 'Just putt to the picture.' That's how I first learned how to putt," Woods said. "He actually knew what he was talking about."

That club was largely responsible for this major. Along with an opening birdie, Woods added 40-foot birdie putts on Nos. 6 and 8, sweeping his putter to sunny skies with his head down as he walked to the hole.

Woods became the first player to win the PGA Championship twice on the same course. He outlasted Sergio Garcia at Medinah in 1999, the start of one of the most dominant stretches in golf.

This was his third straight victory, and could signal another big run.

"That, and the experience of seven years," Woods said. "Yeah, I feel like things are pretty darn good right now."

So much for those worries about Woods after he missed the cut at the U.S. Open. He now has won his past three tournaments, the first time he has done that in five years. He now is 12-0 when his name is atop the leaderboard going into the last round of a major.

"Jack Nicklaus, he's the only other guy I've ever seen who looks more comfortable leading on the back nine of a major than playing the first hole of a tournament," Chris DiMarco said. "And that's pretty scary. He just puts the hammer down."

Nicklaus was home in North Palm Beach, Fla., watching his grandchildren play golf, but he saw enough of the final round on television to appreciate how easy Woods made it look.

"He's that good," Nicklaus said in an e-mail. "The guy is playing just great golf, terrific golf. From what I saw, he certainly was in total command."

Nicklaus won his 18 majors over 25 years. Woods has won 12 in his first 10 years on the PGA Tour, and there doesn't appear to be anyone capable of stopping him.

Luke Donald was tied for the lead going into the final round at Medinah and didn't make a single birdie, closing with a 74 to finish in a tie for third at 12-under 276 with Adam Scott (67) and Garcia (70).

"Tiger just doesn't back up," Steve Stricker said. "He doesn't let anybody get close to him, especially in the last round."

Kane'ohe's Dean Wilson shot his best round of the tournament yesterday, a 5-under 67 and finished tied for 29th at 3-under 285. He earned $41,100 to bring his season earnings to $1,941,701.

Wilson won his first PGA Tour event last week at the International in Castle Rock, Colo.

ELSEWHERE

LPGA: Pat Hurst shot a final-round 4-under 68 and held off Jeong Jang to win the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., yesterday. Hurst finished with a 10-under 206 on the par-72, 6,327-yard course near Portland International Airport. Jang finished with a 70 for a 9-under 207, along with Kim Saiki, who shot a 67 yesterday. Juli Inkster had a 70 to finish at 208.

Champions Tour: Tom Kite took advantage of a wildly erratic Keith Fergus, who hit two spectators and the cartpath three separate times yesterday during the one-hole playoff, to win the Boeing Greater Seattle Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash. Kite shot a 6-under 66 to finish with a three-day score of 15-under 201. Fergus reached 15-under with a 64. Kite birdied the first playoff hole, the par-5, 554-yard No. 18, while Fergus bogeyed.