It is fair to assume Webb Simpson did not spend much time looking in his rear-view mirror. Had he done so, the image of a galloping Tiger Woods might have been sufficient to trigger Players Championship capitulation.

There was no such painful tumble for Simpson, who secured his first PGA Tour success since 2013. A closing 73 was sufficient to take the trophy by four, at 18 under par. Charl Schwartzel, Jimmy Walker and Xander Schauffele shared second.

Simpson’s seven-stroke lead after 54 holes was more than useful but the 32-year-old is due immense credit for his nerveless approach to Sunday . This marked an emotional scene for Simpson, whose father died at the end of last year.

Earlier Woods had threatened to achieve the impossible. The 14-times major champion had started day four 11 off the lead. Having reached the turn in 32 and produced birdies at the 11th and 12th, he was within four. It is hardly being unkind to Simpson to point out the vast wave of support that was by now behind Woods’ challenge.

Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.

The fairytale storyline was to come to an abrupt ending, a consequence both of Simpson’s unwillingness to reverse and Woods’ own failings. The 42-year-old badly miscued an approach to the 14th, which triggered his first bogey since the same hole a day earlier. Further trouble arrived at the 17th, where Woods found water from the tee. His 69 and tie for 11th did not really provide a fair reflection of his efforts from Saturday onwards but Woods still needs to convince that he can win in esteemed company.

“I felt good on basically every facet of the game today,” Woods said. “Not to really mis-hit a shot and only shoot three under par is just weird because I played much better than that. I didn’t play particularly well in the first couple of days but I turned it around this weekend and I got it rolling.

“There’s no way I would have predicted I would be at this point at the beginning of the year, the way I was just coming back and just trying to get a feel for it and then hopefully having a full schedule. Now I feel like I’ve got my playing feels. I’m not that far off from winning golf tournaments.”

Simpson, who is now $1.98m richer, can eye a Ryder Cup return – he represented the USA in 2012 and 2014 – plus the belated fulfilling of promise that was obvious when he prevailed at the US Open six years ago. In the intervening years Simpson has toiled, partly on account of the ban on an anchored putting stroke which he used to great effect.

The victor reeled off six pars to open his fourth round. A birdie at the 7th strengthened his position but he was to drop a shot at the par-three 8th. When Simpson recorded another bogey, at the 10th, eyes flicked towards Woods. Yet Simpson steadied himself immediately, producing key birdies at the 12th and 16th. Even the careless finding of a lake at the last was irrelevant.

Tommy Fleetwood’s 68 and 12 under could and should have been better but for a series of missed putts. The Englishman finished equal seventh. Jason Day matched Fleetwood’s fourth-round score, thereby ending up tied fifth with Jason Dufner.