NORTON-- Twenty-five thousand golf fans chose to spend their Labor Day in Norton.

They came to see greatness, to see one of the gods of sport do what only the gods of sport can do.

They were not disappointed.

In a breath taking performance that would seem to further solidify his place on the Mount Rushmore of American sports -- alongside Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali -- Tiger Woods on Monday captured the fourth annual Deutsche Bank Champi onship at the Tournament Play ers Club of Boston.

That Woods -- easily the world's top-ranked golfer who also happens to be on an extra ordinary winning streak, having won his last five tournaments including two major champi onships -- would earn the $990,000 first prize was hardly a surprise. Most prognosticators -- this writer included -- predicted his victory going into this week's tournament.

And for four years, it's been expected that Woods would win this tournament. The Deutsche Bank Championship charity beneficiary is the Tiger Woods Foundation, making him the tourney's de facto host.

`` Tiger's Tourney,'' it's been called around here.

As Detusche Bank CEO Seth Waugh said after handing Woods the trophy, `` What took you so long?''

It's how Woods won that sent those 25,000 golf fans home smiling.

Down three strokes beginning the day to Vijay Singh, the only other golfer who has held the number one ranking this century, Woods said his goal for the day was to try to draw even with his powerful rival on the front nine holes, then try to pull ahead or get into a playoff.

He outdid his own expectations.

Playing beside Singh in the day's final pairing, Woods eagled the par-5 second hole, birdied the par-3 third hole to tie Singh, who just a day before had been on an incredible roll, setting the course record with a 10-under par 61.

`` All of a sudden,'' Woods said at his post-round press conference, a smile on his face, `` all the momentum was on my side.''

Woods also eagled the other par-5 on the front side, the seventh hole, then held off another fine performance from Singh to earn a huge roar from the 25,000 golf fans ringing the 18th green, not to mention that $990,000 check. He finished the day at 63, eight under par. Besides Singh, only one other player, Brian Bateman, finished the entire tournament eight under par. In addition to defeating one of the greatest golfers of this era -- Singh started the day leading by three strokes, shot a three under par 68 and still lost by two -- here are some of Woods' other accomplishments:

E He captured his fifth straight win. Only three other golfers -- Byron Nelson (11), Ben Hogan (6) and Woods himself (6) -- have won more in a row. It is only the fourth time a player has won five straight tourneys.

E He won his sixth tournament of a season for the fourth time. Jack Nicklaus, often considered the greatest player of all time, is the only other golfer to win at least six tournaments in more than one season. He did it twice.

E He combined with Singh to simply blow away the field. Bateman needed to shoot one of the best rounds of his career, a five-under 66, to finish seven strokes behind Woods and five behind Singh.

E He earned his 53rd victory as a pro, fifth most in the history of the PGA Tour. That raises his winning percentage to a phenomenal .266.

And he's only 30, still young by golf standards.

The 25,000 fans -- many of whom have seen greatness in recent years, with three Super Bowls rings in Foxboro and an astounding World Series championship in Boston in the past five years-- recognized this greatness.

As Woods said earlier in the week, `` These are NOT normal fans.''

The tee boxes, the fairways and the greens were lined, 10-12 people deep, wherever the Woods-Singh pairing went. The un-country club-like crowd -- many of them puffing fat cigars or drinking blue Bud Light bottles, or both -- roared like it was Gillette Stadium or Fenway Park when either man sank a birdie and groaned nearly as loud when a putt lipped out.

There was the man wearing a flat Scottish-style cap, topped by Astroturf and a stick figure lining up a putt.

There was the man who painted his face like a tiger and wore a sign reading: `` Tiger, NOW can I have your autograph?''

And there were the nearly 1,000 people BEHIND the 18th green, unable to get a peek at Woods and Singh in action because of the size of the crowd, who instead watched on a large-screen TV and also rose to give the two great golfers an ovation as they finished their round.

Singh, perhaps, summed up the day best.

`` There's nothing bad about my golf,'' he said. `` He just played better today.''

The extraordinary thing is that Woods is playing better than everybody just about every week.

Twenty-five thousand golf fans were hoping to see just that on Monday.

They were not disappointed.