Woods eases to his sixth Bridgestone victory

A stroke behind at the start of a wet day at Firestone Country Club, Woods overhauled overnight pacesetter Rory Sabbatini with three birdies in the first four holes before running away with the tournament.

He twice chipped in from just off the green before posting an eight-under total of 272, his third successive victory at Firestone and a 14th individual title in a World Golf Championships event.

"That was fun. My plan on the back nine was just to stay clean and not card any bogeys," said Tiger, who insisted that yesterday's victory will give him even more confidence going into this week's PGA Championship.

Britain's Justin Rose fired a four-birdie 68 to share second place at level par with South African Sabbatini (74), one ahead of American Chris DiMarco (70) and Australia's Peter Lonard (68).

In the Wachovia Championship in May, Sabbatini had also been one in front of Woods after 54 holes and sounded off about how he fancied his chances.

The American went out in 31 then as well, and went on to take the title.

Sabbatini's confidence had not been shaken by that experience and nor was he daunted by Woods' phenomenal record on the course.

"Somebody has to knock him down, you know?" he said.

"There's always going to be that point you get to where somebody beats you. So maybe Sunday is my day. That's the way I'm going to look at it." Woods hit his approach to the first to six feet, but although he made the putt it did not draw him level as Sabbatini had already made his birdie putt from 15 feet.

However, Woods turned on the style to dominate his opponent over the next stretch of holes.

Sabbatini was twice in the rough on the next and did well to save his par five from 10 feet, but Woods was close to the green in two, chipped to four feet and, after making that for another birdie, sank further putts of 12 and 18 feet at the fourth and sixth.

Sabbatini, on the other hand, drove into the rough on the fourth and bogeyed, then failed to get up and down from short of the green at the short fifth.

That left them seven under and three under, respectively, and if an incredible 15th World Golf Championships victory in just 27 starts was not quite a formality at that point it certainly looked it after the ninth. Woods was twice in the rough, but another indication that it was his day and not his opponent's came when he chipped in for par and an outward 31 to match Rose.

And with Sabbatini all over the place and taking a double-bogey six, the defending champion led by five from Andres Romero - and then by six when the Argentine, third in the Open two weeks ago and a winner in Germany last Sunday, triple-bogeyed the 10th after an air shot in the rough over the green.

It was then merely rubbing it in when Woods chipped in yet again on the short 12th to reach eight under. The round had been brought forward three hours because of the threat of thunderstorms and the players were sent out in threes. But just one man was dominating it.

Johansson triumphs

SWEDEN'S Per-Ulrik Johansson claimed his first European Tour title for a decade with a commanding victory in the Russian Open.

Johansson carded a final round of 67 for a 23-under-par total of 265 in Moscow, six shots clear of Holland's Robert-Jan Derksen. Canada-based Scot Alan McLean, playing alongside Johansson and Derksen, bogeyed the 18th to finish a shot further back in third.

Sweden's Christopher Hanell finished in a tie for sixth after a double bogey on the 18th, where he played his fourth shot from the walkway on the leaderboard to the right of the green.

Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay finished his first tournament as a professional in a tie for 54th place on two-under-par 286 after closing with a 74. He collected a cheque for 5000.