Phil Mickelson came from four shots back to win the Tour Championship in Georgia but Tiger Woods was the biggest winner as he took a USD10 million bonus as the season-long FedEx Cup champion.
Mickelson began the day at four under par, four behind overnight leader Kenny Perry and two behind world number one Woods but eclipsed both men with a five-under-par round of 65 at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club to claim the USD1.35m first prize.
Woods shot a level-par 70 to claim second place as Perry fell away with a 74 and his runner-up finish was good enough to maintain his lead in the FedEx Cup standings at the end of a PGA Tour season which saw him win six times having returned to the game in February after eight months out following reconstructive knee surgery.
Sean O'Hair was third at five under with Perry sharing fourth place with Padraig Harrington, the Irishman securing his sixth consecutive top-10 finish after a miserable first seven months of the season.
Ernie Els of South Africa claimed ninth place at one under following a second consecutive one over par 71 while Masters champion Angel Cabrera finished two shots back in a tie for 13th alongside Australian Geoff Ogilvy and fellow Green Jacket winner Zach Johnson.
Open champion Stewart Cink shot a 75 to finish tied for 19th at four over.
Harrington, sixth in the FedEx Cup standings, had also started the day at three under, five off the pace, but fell away with back-to-back bogeys at the fifth and sixth, only to rally with birdies at the seventh, 11th, 14th and 15th to put him right back in the hunt at five under, only to undo his bid with a closing bogey.
Mickelson, meanwhile, was moving closer to victory and it was all but secured when he chipped in for a birdie at the 16th to go to nine under.
Woods still had work to do though, and he fell to four under with a bogey at the par-four 13th where Perry imploded with a double bogey.
World number two Stricker, also second in the standings, was breathing down Woods' neck in the FedEx Cup race having got to four under with a birdie but his challenge disappeared with bogeys at the 16th and 17th.
Now it was all down to Woods and birdies at 15 and 16 moved him clear into second.
England's Luke Donald finished his Tour Championship on a high with his first under-par round of the week, a 69 to finish at eight over par.
