For Tiger Woods it was just another spectacular day at the office, the sinking of a snaking 30-foot putt for a winning birdie at one of the most fearsome finishing holes in golf.

And when the cheers and the celebrations — the cap thrown to the ground, the fists pumping the air and Woods roaring — had died down, there was Arnold Palmer, hugging the man in the red shirt and shaking his head in disbelief. As may well come to pass with Lewis Hamilton in Formula One, no one, it seems, can live with Woods on a golf course.

Bart Bryant, a journeyman, had set the clubhouse lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday and was preparing mentally for a play-off with the greatest player the sport has seen. With the world No 1 having won 15 out of 18 play-offs in his professional career, Bryant would have had little chance, but he would have revelled in the opportunity to share the big stage with a living legend.

As it was, Woods’s remarkable putt meant that he did not need a play-off to record his seventh victory on the trot and his ninth in ten tournaments worldwide. The only time he has not won since the end of July, he came second. No wonder many are tipping him to become, in 2008, the first player to win the grand slam of four major professional championships in the same year. An impossible task? Not any more.

No less mind-boggling than his results is the prize-money Woods is racking up. He needs only to turn up, it seems, to waltz away with another million. At Bay Hill he picked up a cheque for $1.044 million (about £510,000), which took his winnings in 13 years as a professional to a staggering $97,799,291. It is a sum, believe it or not, that is dwarfed by his off-course earnings.

Now, at 32, he has the chance to break through the $100 million barrier in the most evocative place of all — at the Masters at Augusta National in four weeks. First, though, he has to win this week at the WGC CA Championship, at Doral in Miami. It is difficult to see him failing, so dominant has he become in the World Golf Championships events. In all, he has won 15 of the 26 he has played and has won this particular title three years in succession and six times in all. The $1.35 million first prize should be his for the taking.

What can such dominance be doing to his peers? Most of them say that it is a privilege to be playing in the Woods era — as it is for the rest of us to be watching him — but the fact remains that when he gets on a roll there is little anyone can do to stop him. More tellingly, perhaps, is that on the rare occasions that he lets it slip during a round, those around him tend not to take advantage. Far better to be a young, up-and-coming player right now than his contemporary and direct rival. Ask Ernie Els, the talented South African.

Woods has learnt to score well even when he is off form and there is not a player in the field who does not look to see how he is doing. And when the roars echo around the course to indicate that he is on the move, it must send a shiver up the spines of his closest rivals.

For a short while, Vijay Singh usurped him at the top of the world rankings, while Woods was rebuilding his swing under the guidance of Hank Haney. It is ridiculous to think that at the time commentators were questioning whether Woods would again be so dominant. In 2005, all the talk was of the Big Five — Woods, Singh, Els, Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen. Not any more. The gap between Woods, who has 21.75 world ranking points, and Mickelson, in second place, who has 9.70, is far in excess of the gap between Mickelson and the 1,000th ranked player, one Travis Johnson.

What Woods has added to his game is greater consistency off the tee, plus he has the ability to do outrageous things — chipping in from impossible angles (as he famously did at the 16th hole at Augusta during the 2005 Masters), or saving par when all hope seems lost. Add to that an extraordinary mental strength that makes him one of the best pressure putters of all time, and others wilt in his presence.

What we are witnessing is nothing short of sensational. From the day he recorded 48 for nine holes as a three-year-old and landed his first hole in one at the age of 6, Woods was tipped for great things. This, though, is going far beyond.

At Augusta he will be seeking his fifth green jacket and fourteenth major championship. It would leave him only four off the record of Jack Nicklaus — who was 46 when he won his last, the 1986 Masters — and with time on his side.

There has been much discussion as to who is the most dominant in his sport, Woods or Roger Federer. Woods has always deferred to the Swiss tennis player, who has won 12 grand-slam tournaments, but with his friend suddenly looking vulnerable at the top of his rankings, this has surely turned around.

We should not worry whether we will see his like again, and must marvel at this sporting phenomenon that is among us.

Tiger feats

Worldwide wins 85 (not including World Cup)

Major championships 13 (four Masters, two US Opens, three Opens, four USPGAs)

PGA Tour wins 64 (level with Ben Hogan, seven behind Jack Nicklaus, 18 behind Sam Snead)

First major 1997 Masters, aged 21

Largest winning margins in majors 15 strokes at 2000 US Open (Pebble Beach); 12 at 1997 Masters; eight at 2000 Open Championship (St Andrews)

“Tiger slam” After winning 2001 Masters, held all four major championships at same time

World Golf Championships Has won 15 individual titles in 26 starts

Rookie year Won twice in nine outings in 1996, earning $940,420

Present streak Has won past seven tournaments

Other records Has won 51 of 57 tournaments when in lead entering final round; has won 15 out of 18 play-offs; has missed only four cuts since turning pro in 1996

Winnings Worldwide $97,799,291. PGA Tour in the United States: $79,909,376