Tiger-proofing proves futile as Woods takes the creative route

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Champion is rewarded for brains as well as brawn

Faldo's display of cunning and insight sets ideal example

The lionisation of the Tiger is a river now, and nothing has swollen the water more than the manner of his third Masters and seventh major win in five years. At the heart of it was exquisite irony.

For so long it was alleged that Woods had made a new game of withering power and supreme athleticism, and when the Augusta committee ordered radical course changes the phrase Tiger-proofing was never far from most lips. But on Sunday night Woods, despite the bone-weariness which came with a supreme performance of body and mind, eloquently underlined the exact nature of the sea change he has brought to golf.

It was not, said the Tiger, about power. That was why he had not explored the outer reaches of the game's technology. He had not gone to graphite. He was not thirsting for greater length. "I'm hitting the ball a lot less further than I was when I won my first Masters," he said. "I'm trying to play a more creative game, moving it more, paying a lot more attention to shot selection. It's neat, it's interesting, and I love it."

Those fortunate to see Woods' epoch-making first Masters in 1997 could only marvel at the the sure-footedness of his march to absolute supremacy. In the first impact of his breakthrough there was a mingling of disbelief and a strange urge to bring the extraordinary performance back into a suddenly shattered perspective. The most absurd reaction was that Woods' game would not easily transfer to the demands of the other majors. He would be a freakish course specialist, marrying his particular talent to the rewards of the course inspired by the great Bobby Jones. So, if you changed Augusta, you might limit the disturbing superiority of Tiger Woods.

Missing from the equation was the possibility that Woods would change along with the course. These last four days, reality has dawned. The effect on all who challenge the Tiger is, we have seen clearly enough, pulverising.