Tiger Woods claimed his second successive victory on Monday to leave the golfing world all asking the same question.

Who on earth can stop him adding the Masters next week and so becoming the first player in the sport's history to hold all four majors at the same time?

Woods won the massive £777,000 first prize at the Players Championship - golf's richest event and often referred to as the unofficial fifth major - by one from Masters champion Vijay Singh and by two from Germany's Bernhard Langer.

Forced into an extra day's work because of a three-hour rain delay on Sunday, Woods returned with a one-stroke lead with nine to play and was never caught from the moment he hit his approach to the 10th to within six inches of the flag.

He also birdied the 12th and 16th and, after a heart-stopping moment when his tee shot to the island green, short 17th stopped a foot from the water's edge, he always looked to have victory in the bag.

Singh, however, will look back on a triple bogey at the 467-yard 14th and Langer at a bizarre back nine which contained five birdies, but also three bogeys.

Woods, who had not won all season until he won the Bay Hill Invitational eight days ago, did bogey the last, but he knew he could.

His closing 67 for a 14 under par total of 274 brought him the 34th victory of his professional career and took his career earnings to over £19million.

Now all eyes are on him as he heads for Augusta to try to add the Masters to the US Open, Open and US PGA he lifted last year.

"This is special and it's extremely rewarding to have won, but it's not a major," said Woods, whose main focus has always been the Masters.

"I was sick and tired of people writing that I was in a slump before I won last week. They obviously don't understand the game real well - it wasn't as if I was missing cuts."

Woods has only ever missed one cut in 120 starts since he left the amateur ranks (perhaps the most amazing of all the amazing things about his career) and his worst finish of the year prior to Bay Hill was 13th.

"I don't think I am hitting the ball any better now. It's just that starting with Dubai I've gotten onto better greens.

"I'm pretty happy, but I'll continue to work on the most important thing for the Masters, controlling your trajectory."

Singh, whose last round 68 means he has yet to score over par in any round this year and has had six successive top-four finishes, reflected: "I was aiming left at the 14th and hoping to fade the ball.

"But I pulled it and one bad swing is all it takes."

He must have suspected it had cost him the trophy, but the Fijian made a great attempt at repairing the damage.

On the long 16th his second shot finished against the collar of rough just off the green. He elected to use the toe-end of his putter for his next shot - and from 18 feet incredible holed it for eagle.

When he birdied the 17th from four feet he was only one behind again, but Woods was watching from the 16th and, having made the green in two, he almost made a 45-foot putt for an eagle of his own.

The birdie gave him a two-stroke cushion, but he nearly threw it away. Having been in the water at the 17th on Friday, he was close to doing it again in the third and was even closer this time.

The ball came to rest on the edge of the hazard and his chip stopped eight feet short. But in went the par for putt and even when he missed the fairway at the last he had done so on the safe side.

Water lines the left and he was in there last Thursday. This time he was in rough, was happy to chop out and then hit his third to 18 feet, leaving himself two putts for victory. There was never any doubt.

Singh added: "I hope I don't face a similar shot (as the 14th) at Augusta, but the Masters is totally different.

"I'm not going to think about it after I leave here. Tomorrow I'll be back here (he lives nearby) preparing for the Masters and I just hope I've learned something.

"Under the gun you know that you cannot make mistakes. That's the bottom line."

Little-known American Jerry Kelly was the other player in the hunt when the 11 groups returned to Sawgrass to finish off.

Kelly was one behind Woods and playing with him, but his only birdie came at the 15th and when he double-bogeyed the last, going from rough to water, he had to be content with fourth place.

Without a single US Tour victory to his name, a cheque for £207,000 represented the best pay-day of his career. Langer took £293,000, while Singh collected £466,000.

Nice work if you can get it.

Collated final scores and totals in the Players Championships at TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Jacksonville, Florida (USA unless stated, par 72):

274 T Woods 72 69 66 67 (£777,000)

275 V Singh (Fij) 67 70 70 68 (£466,000)

276 B Langer (Ger) 73 68 68 67 (£293,000)

278 J Kelly 69 66 70 73 (£207,000)

281 H Sutton 72 71 68 70, B Mayfair 68 72 70 71 (£163,000 each)

282 F Lickliter 72 72 70 68, P Azinger 66 70 74 72, S Hoch 67 70 71 74

283 N Price (Zim) 70 74 71 68, J Durant 73 73 67 70

284 JM Olazabal (Spa) 71 76 68 69, T Lehman 71 71 72 70, D Toms 70 77 66 71

285 S Dunlap 70 73 73 69, F Langham 73 71 71 70, M Campbell (Nzl) 72 71 69 73

286 J Kaye 67 72 76 71, L Janzen 77 67 69 73, K Perry 71 66 74 75

287 J Furyk 72 75 72 68, T Herron 73 74 71 69, JP Hayes 72 69 76 70, R Allenby (Aus) 68 75 71 73, C Pavin 73 72 69 73

288 B Faxon 72 74 73 69, D Clarke (Gbr) 75 70 72 71, N Ozaki (Jpn) 77 68 72 71, A Cabrera (Arg) 72 70 74 72, S Kendall 68 78 69 73

289 K Triplett 72 71 76 70, D Paulson 74 70 73 72

290 S Appleby (Aus) 74 73 75 68, C Parry (Aus) 71 73 76 70, F Funk 70 71 77 72, J Sluman 72 71 75 72, P Harrington (Irl) 70 75 73 72, M Wiebe 73 73 69 75, P Mickelson 73 68 72 77

291 S Flesch 70 73 76 72, B Tway 72 73 74 72, B Gay 73 74 72 72, C Montgomerie (Gbr) 71 71 75 74

292 S McCarron 71 75 77 69, B Andrade 72 73 74 73, P Stankowski 72 74 73 73, T Kite 70 73 75 74, M Weir (Can) 77 69 72 74, S Verplank 69 75 72 76

293 N Faldo (Gbr) 73 73 75 72, S Garcia (Spa) 73 74 74 72, JD Blake 74 73 73 73, J Carter 69 73 75 76, S Jones 72 71 72 78

294 C DiMarco 74 73 74 73, T Byrum 73 71 75 75, J Cook 71 72 75 76

295 J Williamson 78 69 77 71, S Pate 72 72 76 75, C Riley 71 75 73 76, K Sutherland 71 74 73 77, G Chalmers (Aus) 71 73 72 79, F Couples 71 75 70 79, G Hnatiuk (Can) 74 70 71 80

297 M Brooks 71 74 76 76, R Mediate 73 73 75 76, G Kraft 73 71 72 81

298 C Paulson 74 73 76 75, P Goydos 73 74 76 75

299 B Geiberger 72 75 82 70, I Woosnam (Gbr) 73 73 81 72, M Goggin (Aus) 72 75 72 80

300 R Freeman 73 72 79 76, JL Lewis 73 72 78 77, B Elder 69 72 81 78