THOUSAND OAKS, December 5, 2011 (AFP) - Tiger Woods birdied the last two holes to win the Chevron World Challenge on Sunday, the one-shot triumph his first victory since a 2009 sex scandal shattered his iconic image.
Woods had gone 26 starts worldwide in more than two years without a victory as personal turmoil was followed by struggles on the course with swing changes and, this year, injuries that curtailed his playing time and stalled his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles at 14.
On Sunday, the former world number one delivered under pressure, making birdies at 17 and 18 to erase a one-shot deficit and beat former Masters champion Zach Johnson by one stroke in the unofficial 18-man event.
"It feels great," said Woods, who let out a roar as his six-foot birdie putt at the final hole dropped, then shook hands with Johnson as fans at Sherwood Country Club bellowed their approval.
"I wasn't really thinking, I think I was yelling," Woods said. "I think I was screaming something, but it was just that I won the golf tournament. I pulled it off with one down, two to go. To go birdie-birdie is as good as it gets."
Woods' last victory had come at the Australian Masters on November 15, 2009. Later that month, he crashed his car outside his Florida home in the hours after the US Thanksgiving holiday, an incident that led to the unveiling of his secret sex life.
Asked if he could characterize his feelings at finally ending his victory drought, Woods just beamed.
"It feels awesome, whatever it is," said Woods, who is projected to rise from his current 52nd in the world rankings to 21st.
Woods' final-round 69 gave him a 10-under total of 278, and he donated the $1.2 million winner's prize to his charitable foundation, for which he hosts this event.
While the Challenge is not an official PGA Tour tournament, it counts toward the world rankings.
Johnson, who led Woods by one after three rounds, carded a one-under 71 for 279.
England's Paul Casey, dead last in the 18-man field after a first-round 79, was the unlikely third-placed finisher with a 69 for 283.
But the final round was all about Woods and whether he could out-duel Johnson and finally get himself back into the winner's circle after promising performances at the Australian Open and in America's Presidents Cup triumph in November.
Despite a few "loose shots", Woods said his new swing held up admirably.
"When the pressure was on the most the last two holes, I hit three of the best shots I hit all week. That's very exciting for me," he said.
Back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 gave Woods a two-shot lead over Johnson, but Woods gave a stroke back with a bogey from a bunker at the 12th.
Johnson rattled in a birdie putt at the par-five 13th to pull level, then went up a stroke with a birdie at the par-five 16th, where Woods was unable to hole his birdie effort from the fringe
At 17, Woods watched as Johnson's birdie putt lipped out, then rolled in a 15-footer for a birdie and a share of the lead.
"I hit exactly where I wanted to," Johnson said of his putt at 17. "It just didn't dive enough, or I hit it too hard, one of the two."
Woods said seeing Johnson's putt fail to drop gave him a better read on his own.
"I brought my read in a little bit after seeing his, and my ball held its line all the way up there," Woods said. "I would easily have missed that by a ball, ball and a half high if I didn't see Zach's putt."
Johnson said he had few regrets on the day, but was unhappy with his 18-foot birdie attempt at the last, which curled away from the hole and set the stage for Woods.
"That's the one that was frustrating," Johnson said. "I did not hit a good putt there ... probably didn't have it read right, either."
Overall, however, Johnson relished the tension of the round, against an all-time great keen to prove himself back to his best. Johnson said he had no doubt that a Woods untroubled by the kind of injuries that forced him to miss two major championships this season remains formidable.
"If the man is healthy, that's paramount," Johnson said. "He's the most experienced and the best layer I've ever played with. In every situation, he knows how to execute and win."
Final-round scores here on Sunday in the $5 million Chevron World Challenge golf tournament (USA unless noted, par-72):
278 - Tiger Woods 69-67-73-69
279 - Zach Johnson 73-67-68-71
283 - Paul Casey (ENG) 79-68-67-69
284 - Matt Kuchar 72-67-74-71, Hunter Mahan 72-68-73-71
287 - Jim Furyk 71-74-73-69, Martin Laird (SCO) 77-74-66-70, Rickie Fowler 71-70-75-71, Bubba Watson 75-70-70-72
288 - Bo Van Pelt 74-72-71-71, Gary Woodland 73-70-70-75
289 - K.J. Choi (KOR) 66-73-72-78
290 - Webb Simpson 73-79-68-70, Bill Haas 78-69-69-74
291 - Jason Day (AUS) 74-68-77-72
292 - Steve Stricker 69-76-73-74
298 - Keegan Bradley 76-75-74-73
299 - Nick Watney 71-78-73-77
Factfile on Tiger Woods, who ended a two-year victory drought with a win in the un-official Chevron World Challenge on Sunday:
TIGER WOODS
Age - 35
Born - Cypress, California
Residence - Orlando, Florida
Height - 1.88m
Weight - 80kg
Family - Daughter Sam Alexis (2007), son Charlie Axel (2009), with ex-wife Elin Nordegren (married 2004-2010)
Website - www.tigerwoods.com
Turned pro - 1996
Major titles - 14 (Masters 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005, US Open 2000, 2002 and 2008, British Open 2000, 2005, 2006, US PGA Championship 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007)
USPGA Tour wins - 71; International wins - 11; Others - 13
Winner of the Ryder Cup with the United States (1999)
Player of the Year in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009
Money list standings: 1st in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2nd in 2003, 4th in 1998 and 2004, 68th in 2010, 128th in 2011
Career milestones:
Youngest Masters champion at 21 years, 3 months, 14 days in 1997
Youngest world No. 1 in history of golf, 15 June 1997, at 21 years 24 weeks
First player to win the US Open, British Open and US PGA Championship in the same year (2000)
First player to hold all four major titles simultaneously, adding the 2001 Masters to the US Open, British Open and US PGA Championship titles he claimed in 2000
Youngest player to win 50 US PGA Tour titles at 30 years (Buick Open 2006)
Returned to competition in February 2009 following knee surgery and an eight-month layoff at the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play Championship
Won his first title since his 2009 comeback in his third event by taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Won six times on the US tour in 2009, won the Australian Masters in November, played on victorious US Presidents Cup team
On December 11, 2009, said via website statement he was taking "indefinite break" from golf, after admitting marital infidelity
On March 16, 2010, said via website statement that he was ending his break from golf and would return at the Masters
Amid struggles on and off the course in 2010, Woods finished equal fourth at Masters, equal fourth at the US Open, equal 23rd at British Open and equal 28th at PGA Championship
On November 1, 2010, officially lost world number one ranking after 281 consecutive weeks at the top
On January 24, 2011, Germany's Martin Kaymer passed Woods in the rankings, dropping him to third, the lowest point Woods had stood since first becoming number one. Later in the year he fell out of the top 50.