Zach Johnson drives on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2007 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club. MORRY GASH | Associated Press

Johnson pulled away from Woods and the rest of the pack with three birdies in a crucial four-hole stretch along the back nine of Augusta National, closing with a 69 for a two-shot victory and only the second of his career.

Johnson, 31, is the least accomplished Masters champion since Larry Mize chipped in to beat Greg Norman in a playoff 20 years ago, but this was no fluke. Even as some of the thrills returned in the final round, Johnson kept his calm.

And there wasn't anything Woods could do about it.

Woods looked like a lock when he took the lead after a short birdie on the second hole, only this major didn't work out like so many others. Johnson and three other players came after him, and Woods was the one who backed off with sloppy mistakes — a broken club and shots that either found the water or the bunker, too many putts that stayed out of the cup.

It was the third time Woods lost a lead during the final round of a major, and the first time he failed to get it back.

Johnson finished at 1-over 289, matching a Masters record last set in 1956 for highest winning score. And it ended a streak of the winner coming out of the final group at Augusta National ever year since 1991.

The week featured bone-dry conditions, more bogeys than birdies, frost coating the manicured lawn in the morning and one last peculiar sight — Woods walking up to the 18th green with no one left behind him on the course and no trophy waiting for him at the end.