By Mark Garrod, PA Sport, Minnesota

Rich Beem now knows the answer to the biggest question he is ever likely to ask himself in his golf career. Am I a choker?

The 31-year-old American most definitely is not. Holding off a charging Tiger Woods to win the US PGA title removes any doubt about that.

Beem, playing just the fourth major championship of his life, was not sure he could handle the pressure when he went into the final round three behind Justin Leonard.

"I said I might puke if I was leading with a few to play," said the former mobile phone salesman, who as a matter of routine takes medicine before every round to settle his stomach.

"It's so I don't go number two on the golf course," he added, laughing.

"I've always done it. I go through close to a bottle a week.

"Part of it is nerves. I don't care if anybody sees me anymore (taking a swig). I used to be embarrassed, but now I don't care."

And why should he? Beem has won his last two tournaments, is fourth on the US Tour money list this season with £1.7million and is guaranteed a place in every major for the next five years and the PGA championship for his lifetime.

He has come a long way since the time he gave up golf for a year in 1995 - and indeed since the time he was convicted of drunk driving on his one and only trip to Britain for the Open at Carnoustie three years ago.

A book was written about him at that period. It depicted him as a party animal whose life was unstable to say the least.

He said: "That was who I was at the time. I'm a different person now."

He married last December and his wife does all the organising of his career.

Taking over the lead from Leonard on the front nine of the final round at Hazeltine National proved the easy part. Woods had come from five back to one behind by then.

The world number one looked odds-on to add the crown to his Masters and US Open victories and so become the first player ever to win three majors in a season twice.

Even though Woods had never come from behind on the last day to win any of his eight majors so far, that seemed just a matter of time away. Nine holes away, in fact.

But Beem made a magnificent eagle on the 597-yard 11th, smashing a fairway wood to six feet, and when he birdied the short 13th and Woods bogeyed both that and the next the gap between them was six.

Far from going quietly, however, Woods underlined what a superstar he is by finishing with four straight birdies. He thought it would be enough, but it was not.

Beem bogeyed the 14th as well before making a dramatic 40-foot birdie putt two holes later after fearing he had dumped his second shot into the water.

That gave him a two-stroke lead coming down the last and his first three putt of the week did not matter.

He had become the sixth player in the last eight years - and the 12th in the last 15 years - to make the PGA his first major title.

Beem also did a huge service for all those who dream of emulating him.

For the last three years just about every major taken by somebody other than Woods has been won with him out of contention.

Beem has the added satisfaction of knowing he stopped arguably the game's greatest-ever player adding to his collection of honours.

And others will doubtless now believe that if the world number 73 can do that, they can too.

That includes all the leading Europeans. But first they have to get into the hunt and in some cases they first have to make the cut.

Sergio Garcia and Pierre Fulke were the best placed this time, but they were in 10th place. Not exactly a huge boost with the Ryder Cup only five weeks away.

This week's NEC World Championship in Seattle sees them all try again. But this is a title that Woods has won for the last three years.