No side before had rallied to win on the last day after trailing for three days, further cementing the reputation of Tiger Woods, who went undefeated in his three matches.
International team captain Ernie Els is keen to "kick the asses" of Tiger Woods and his United States teammates at the Presidents Cup.
Tiger Woods finished 19-under par to equal US legend Sam Snead's all-time record of 82 US PGA Tour victories set 54 years ago.
Victory would see Tiger Woods equal US legend Sam Snead's all-time mark of 82 PGA Tour wins.
Golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 after a 112-year absence but Tiger Woods, who dominated the sport in the first decade of the 21st century, missed its return through injury.
Anirban Lahiri tweeted that he would head to Florida, where residents are bracing for Hurricane Dorian, which had strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Friday.
Rory McIlroy finished the tournament on 18 under, four shots clear of Xander Schauffele, who posted a closing 70 to finish on 14 under.
A statement from the PGA Tour said four fans were injured after two lightning strikes hit trees near the 16th tee at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, showering debris over nearby fans.
In desperately difficult conditions, Shane Lowry's one-over par final round was still more than enough as he finished on 15-under for the tournament to claim the Claret Jug.
Shane Lowry's 16-under overall total of 197 is the lowest after 54 holes in British Open history.
Gaganjeet Bhullar's short-iron shot bounced in the fringes of the green before trickling forward and dropping into the side of the cup.
Presenting the golfing great with the nation's highest honor, Donald Trump praised Tiger Woods' "relentless will to win, win, win".
Tiger Woods stunned the sporting world last month by completing an epic comeback from spinal fusion surgery to capture the Masters.
Rafael Nadal, a keen golfer himself, expressed nothing but admiration for Tiger Woods, who has fought through at least as many physical challenges as he has himself.
Tiger Woods' sensational win wasn't just a feel-good story for himself and legions of golf fans; it made a lot of bettors pretty happy as well.
Tiger Woods completed his comeback from travails both personal and physical Sunday, winning his fifth Masters title an astonishing 14 years after last.
It's the first time Tiger Woods has won a major without holding the 54-hole lead, and his first major title since the 2008 US Open.
Francesco Molinari seized a two stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Tony Finau in a thrilling Masters third round at Augusta National.
