updated 11:30 p.m. ET Jan. 15, 2006

HONOLULU - The image is still fresh when so many people see David Toms. They remember him on a stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped to his mouth as he was loaded into an ambulance with his heart beating out of control.

That was four months ago at the 84 Lumber Classic.

Rest assured, he says his heart is fine. And it wasn’t under any kind of stress Sunday in the Sony Open.

Answering questions about the state of his game, much less his health, Toms carried on from a record-setting round at Waialae with two quick birdies to blow away the field, closing with a 5-under 65 for a five-shot victory.

“That’s definitely behind me,” Toms said of his heart, and surgery to repair the problem in November. “Just like when I had hand surgery a couple of years ago, I came out and was able to play well right away and erase any questions that I might have, and whether or not I was going to be able to do it again.

“I’ve come a long way from that day in Pennsylvania.”

If anything, Toms looked a lot like the guy who crushed anyone in his way while winning the Accenture Match Play Championship last year. He was four shots clear at the turn, and never let anyone get closer.

Chad Campbell, tied with Toms going into the final round at warm and breezy Waialae, didn’t make a birdie until the 17th hole and shot 70. He tied for second with Rory Sabbatini, who closed with a 62 and never had a chance.

“I could only do my best, but the chances were I wasn’t going to catch him,” Sabbatini said.

Toms was in total control of all aspects of his game on a spectacular day along the shores of the Pacific, where surfers clinging to parasails glided along the water. It was a feeling Toms knew well.

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He set a course record with a 61 to share the 54-hole lead with Campbell. And he resumed his solid play with an 8-iron into 12 feet for birdie on the first hole, and a drive that split the middle on the dangerous second hold.

“It was like, ’Here we go again. I’m going to play good,”’ Toms said.

Victory was never in doubt.

The entertainment value came from 27-year-old rookie Bubba Watson, a lefty with power not seen since John Daly showed up at the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in 1991. Swinging from the heels, he blasted four drives over 360 yards on a course with no elevation.

Slide show Coming up aces A look at golf’s hot stars, on and off the course more photos

A flip wedge into the par-5 18th hole set up a short eagle for a 65 that gave him fourth place alone in his debut.

“I remember when I was a rookie and would just let it go,” Sabbatini said. “There’s absolutely no possibility I could ever have hit it that far. Just unbelievable.”

Toms had an easy up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th to finish at 19-under 261, one shot off the 72-hole record at Waialae. He earned $918,000 to get his year off to a great start.

David Duval also started his season well, closing with a 63 for his best score in nearly three years.

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