Tiger takes the Green Jacket at 21. (Allsport)

Nick Faldo helped record-breaking Tiger Woods into a green jacket at Augusta tonight and ushered in a new golfing era.

The phenomenon that is Woods became the youngest-ever winner of the Masters at the tender age of 21 years and three months. He did it by an incredible 12 shots from American Ryder Cup captain Tom Kite and he did it in the first major championship he has played as a professional.

Already nine clear of the field at the start of the day Woods, golf's first coloured major champion, lived up to Colin Montgomerie's billing that he is ``no Greg Norman'' by beating the previous biggest victory margin in the event by three and the lowest total by one with his stunning 18 under par 270.

Third was another American, Tommy Tolles, on the five under par mark of 283, and fourth Tom Watson one further back. Italian Costantino Rocca, second after three rounds, dropped to fifth with a 75 he bogeyed the 11th and 17th, then three-putted the last. Montgomerie, leader by two late on the second day, collapsed to an 81 and only 30th place.

Woods, hardly able to believe it himself, is the youngest winner of a major since 1931, when 20-year-old Tom Creavy won the US PGA title.

Nobody will be surprised if it is just the start. A year ago Jack Nicklaus, the previous holder of both records, predicted that Woods had the game to win more Masters than his six and Arnold Palmer's four put together.

Eyebrows were raised when the Golden Bear made that statement. But on the evidence of this week it could come true. Woods was born to play golf and Augusta National looks as if it were made just for him.

There is also bound to be speculation now on his achieving golf's first-ever Grand Slam of all four majors in one season. Next up is the US Open at Congressional in Washington on June 12-15, then the Open at Royal Troon on July 17-20 and finally the US PGA at Winged Foot near New York on August 14-17.

Nicklaus, who won the first two of the four in 1972 but then was pipped at Muirfield by Lee Trevino, said of Woods: ``He has the most sound fundamentals in a youngster I have seen.''

Trevino added: ``He has everything power, know-how and shot-making ability.'' Kite had commented after the third round: ``This seems to be the next generation. He is blowing the field away.''

Watson stated: ``He is a boy among men and he is showing the men how to play. He may be the kind of player who comes along once in a millennium. He has the heart of a lion it looks like.''

Resuming nine clear of Rocca, both went to the turn in a level par 36. Woods did lose some of his magic by bogeying the fifth and seventh after wayward shots, but he had already birdied the long second and he repaired the damage of the second bogey with a beauty of a pitch-and-run from the trees at the eighth.

With former double winner Ben Crenshaw taking a record-equalling 11 on the 15th - hitting three balls in the water - and Montgomerie four-putting the 10th it was clear there were still some hurdles to overcome. But when Woods birdied the 11th from 18 feet the cushion became 10 strokes and a two-putt birdie at the long 13th made that 11 and the smiles from that point on told their own story.

His next birdie was not long in coming, a 10-footer going unerringly into the cup at the 14th. He parred the last four to complete a quite remarkable Tiger's tale.

It was, staggeringly, the fifth victory Woods has had in the eight months since he left the amateur ranks - four in 15 starts on the US Tour (he has had five other top 10 finishes and now leads their Ryder Cup table) - and another by 10 shots in Thailand in February.

His American tour earnings now through the £1million mark with the £300,000 cheque which came with his green jacket.

Not that the three-time American amateur champion another record has had to worry about cash since the day he quit his studies at Stanford University last summer. He immediately signed a five-year deal with sports manufacturers Nike which has been put as high as £50million.

It looks cheap at the price. Woods will now be in demand the world over and, more importantly than that, a new breed of youngsters are likely to want to take up the game.

That he is the first coloured major champion has massive implications for the sport - and he knows it.

``It means a lot,'' he said. ``It's going to open up a lot of doors, a lot of opportunities and draw a lot of people into golf who never thought of playing the game.

``I think on this kind of stage and this kind of media it's going to do a lot for the game as far as minority golf is concerned.''

When he burst onto the professional scene Nike came up with a commercial which highlighted Woods's background.

``There are courses I can't play because of the colour of my skin,'' it said. ``Are you ready for me?''

Woods comments on that: ``People are so afraid to admit that golf has had a problem dealing with minorities. The commercial shook the world, but it made people aware of the situation and shook it in the way it needed to be shaken.''

Montgomerie had 40 putts in his 81, his worst round at Augusta by three. Four of them came on the 10th green and he said: ``It's six years in a row now that that has happened here. I've still not come to grips with it. I've a long way to go yet.''

His 74 as third round partner to Woods, who shot 65, knocked the stuffing out of the Scot, but he will fancy his chances a lot more on the tight fairways of the US Open course.

Before Faldo put the jacket on the new champion Woods, who had shed tears when he hugged his father coming off the 18th green, said he was thinking about other black players like Charlie Sifford, Jim Dent and Lee Elder.

``They paved the way for me to be here. I was thinking about them and what they have done for me and the game of golf. Coming up the 18th I said a prayer and said Thanks.

``This is awesome. I was thinking about my Dad too. He said last night this might be my toughest round ever, but that if I was myself it would be the most rewarding round ever.''

Faldo said: ``Tiger - phenomenal. Welcome to the jacket. By the way, it clashes with red terribly.''

Kite, runner-up for the third time, commented: ``I won my tournament.''

Final collated totals (US unless stated):

(x) denotes amateurs

270 T Woods 70 66 65 69 (£300,000)

282 T Kite 77 69 66 70 (£180,000)

283 T Tolles 72 72 72 67 (£113,333)

284 T Watson 75 68 69 72 (£80,000)

285 P Stankowski 68 74 69 74, C Rocca (Italy) 71 69 70 75 (£63,333 each)

286 B Langer (Ger) 72 72 74 68, J Leonard 76 69 71 70, F Couples 72 69 73 72, D Love 72 71 72 71, J Sluman 74 67 72 73 (£48,099 each)

287 S Elkington (Aus) 76 72 72 67, W Wood 72 76 71 68, P-U Johansson (Swe) 72 73 73 69, T Lehman 73 76 69 69, JM Olazabal (Spain) 71 70 74 72 (£32,666 each)

288 M Calcavecchia 74 73 72 69, V Singh (Fiji) 75 74 69 70, F Funk 73 74 69 72, E Els (SA) 73 70 71 74 (£24,166 each)

289 J Huston 67 77 75 70, S Appleby (Aus) 72 76 70 71, J Parnevik (Swe) 73 72 71 73 (£17,999 each)

291 L Westwood (GB) 77 71 73 70, N Price (Zim) 72 70 75 74

292 C Stadler 77 72 71 72, L Janzen 72 73 74 73

293 J Furyk 74 75 72 72, P Azinger 69 73 77 74

294 L Mize 79 69 74 72, S McCarron 77 71 72 74, M O'Meara 75 74 70 75, C Montgomerie (GB) 72 67 74 81

295 S Lyle (GB) 73 73 74 75, F Zoeller 75 73 69 78

296 D Waldorf 74 75 72 75

297 D Frost (SA) 74 71 73 79

298 S Hoch 79 68 73 78

299 J Nicklaus 77 70 74 78, S Torrance (GB) 75 73 73 78, I Woosnam (GB) 77 68 75 79

300 M Ozaki (Jap) 74 74 74 78

301 C Pavin 75 74 78 74, C Rose 73 75 79 74

302 B Crenshaw 75 73 74 80

303 F Nobilo 76 72 74 81