Atlanta, GA …

An emotional Tiger Woods delivered his USA Team an Eiffel Tower-high boost brilliantly ending a half-decade winless drought to capture by two shots the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Woods traditional last round red shirt looked the brightest it’s been with a first victory anywhere in 1,876 days and with victory virtually gift-wrapped him by his rivals after posting a closing day 71 for an 11-under par tally on the East Lake course.

Among those failing to mount any sort of a last day challenge was Rory McIlroy and the closest McIlroy getting to Woods being an opening tee handshake before imploding in posting a 74 to finish in a share of seventh at five-under.

Justin Rose holed a 3-inch birdie putt on his 72nd hole to claw his way back to a share of fourth and be guaranteed the FedEx Cup trophy and a $10m prize windfall.

The sight we have waited for more than five years

Woods’ 80^th PGA Tour triumph and also the 107^th win of his career is a first success anywhere since August 2013 in capturing a record eighth WGC – Bridgestone Invitational victory.

And in returning after four separate back operations, including revolutionary ‘fusion’ surgery last year, Woods’ win is already being ranked up there with efforts by the late, great Mohammed Ali, Jack Nicklaus and George Foreman.

Ali returned from a 43-month controversial Vietnam War suspension to go on to become the first Heavyweight to win three World tiles.

Nicklaus was aged 46 in capturing an 18^th Major and nearly six years after his 17^th, and Foreman in 1994 became the oldest Heavyweight champ at age 45 in capturing his second title.

There had been amazing scenes as Woods walked the near 100-yard distance from the East Lake clubhouse, and virtually through a winding mobile phone guard-of-honour, before finding his way to the first tee.

He teed-up in his 346^th PGA start with the inevitable record of having won 23 of 23 events when leading by three shots of less.

Woods moved four shots clear of McIlroy and Rose in holing a 10-footer at the first to move to 13-under par and then five shots clear of McIlroy when the Northern Irishman three-putted after first finding the left rough and then a greenside bunker at the fourth hole.

McIlroy was soon setting the tone in playing a supporting role after also bogeying the fifth hole and then after Rose, and in the group ahead, also bogeyed five Woods was now a remarkable five shots clear.

Woods headed to the turn still five shots clear of Rose in second but with McIlroy continuing to save some of his worst for the last event of the year after having to take a penalty drop following a wild drive right off the seventh tee ahead a second three-putt in his round.

In contrast, Woods looked content to take par and while he did bogey 10, he bounced back with a birdie on 13 only to give back the shot in just managing to carry the water at the par-3 15^th and then chipping and two-putting for a second bogey.

Woods sent another shiver into a massive following when he also bogeyed 16 but steadied with a par at the 71^st before his triumphant march down the 72^nd hole.

And accommpanying Woods was thousands and thousands of delighted followers.