The world’s top-ranked player jetted off last night after claiming his first victory on the continent with a two-shot win at the Australian Masters in Melbourne.

His six-day stay, which came with a $3 million appearance fee, will help spur a golf recovery in a nation where club memberships have dropped 8 percent since 2001 and the local tour lost half its tournaments, officials and players said.

“When you get an iconic sportsman like Tiger, the best in the world and so dominant, then everybody stands up and looks,” Max Garske, chief executive officer of the PGA of Australia, said in an interview at Kingston Heath Golf Club. “His coming down is a perfect shot in the arm for us.”

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