AKRON, Ohio - A birdie on the 16th hole that dove into the cup at the last second gave Tiger Woods the lead. All that remained were two holes to secure a victory and avoid a playoff with Chris DiMarco.

Unlike the Masters, Woods got the job done in regulation Sunday in the NEC Invitational.

He left some drama at the end with a tee shot that leaked just enough to the right that he was blocked by trees. Woods punched a 9-iron through two trees, and the ball bounded up to the green about 20 feet away on the collar, setting up a two-putt par and another World Golf Championship.

DiMarco, who played four groups ahead, watched the ending from the clubhouse dining room at Firestone.

"If you're hoping for him to make bogey, you didn't do what you needed do out there," DiMarco said.

Woods did just enough.

Unable to make a putt - he missed five of them from inside 8 feet - he delivered with an 18-foot birdie on the 16th hole that broke sharply to the left over the last 12 inches, then finished with two pars for a 1-over 71.

"I've had that putt for three or four years, and I miss it low every time," Woods said. "I made sure I threw the ball out there a little bit more ... and it just snapped at the end. I thought it was going to lip out, which was how my whole day was going. But it lipped in, which was sweet."

It was only the fifth time in 45 career victories on the PGA Tour that Woods shot over par in the final round, and the first time since the 2003 American Express Championship - another WGC event - outside Atlanta.

And it continued his staggering success in the events designed to bring together the best from all over the world.

Since the World Golf Championships began in 1999, Woods has won at least one of them every year. His now has won nine of 18, and his combined earnings of official WGC events - about $11.6 million - make up more than 20 percent of his career earnings.

"You started these too late," he said.

Woods finished at 6-under 274 and earned $1.3 million for his PGA Tour-leading fifth victory of the season.

But he has rarely had to work this hard at Firestone, a course where he has won four times the last six tries.

Woods shot 71 in the final round in 1999 to hold off a late charge by Phil Mickelson, although Woods bogeyed the 18th hole to make it closer than it was. He also went seven playoff holes against Jim Furyk in 2001, after a final round in which both played well.

But with stiff breezes swirling through the tree-lined fairways, the NEC Invitational was a matter of hanging on.

Kenny Perry, tied with Woods at 7 under par going into the last round, built a two-shot lead at the turn when Woods' putter faltered and was poised to win until he started missing fairways, making five bogeys in a six-hole stretch.

"There really isn't much to say other than I played lousy," Perry said after a 74.

Paul McGinley of Ireland was one behind after three rounds and among four players who had at least a share of the lead Sunday. He was still tied until going from the left rough to the right rough on the 17th hole and making bogey, sending him to a 72 to tie for third at 276 with Vijay Singh (67) and Ryan Palmer (69).

Sergio Garcia and Stuart Appleby were two behind, and both came undone. Garcia slashed out of the rough, first at his ball, then in disgust, on his way to a 74. Appleby was penalized two shots when he tried to take a drop from the cart path. His ball bounced back onto the path, but his caddie picked it up before it stopped rolling. He shot 74.

DiMarco, in contention for the first time since the Masters, birdied three of the first six holes to get into the mix, and he rebounded from consecutive bogeys on the back nine to reach 6 under, alone atop the leaderboard.

But from the 17th fairway, he went at the back pin and fired too far, landing in deep grass behind the green. His chip went 15 feet by the hole and he made bogey.

"Should have hit a softer 7-iron," DiMarco said.

Woods heard the groan of the crowd from the 14th tee not far away, and it gave him life.

He was coming off another short miss - 5 feet for birdie at No. 13 that would have given him a tie for the lead - and he was so angry that he banged his driver off the cart path as he walked to the next tee, slamming it hard into the turf when he got off the concrete.

Before long, he saw DiMarco had finished at 5 under.

Woods figured birdie chances would be rare because of the tucked pins on the 15th and 17th, and because No. 18 is difficult to find the fairway.

"My realistic chance was 16," he said.

He didn't make it easy on himself with a drive so far right into the trees that the best he could do was punch out into the fairway, 189 yards from the hole, the flag located just behind the water.

Woods had been there Sunday morning when he finished his third round, and hit 6-iron from 185 to 20 feet for a safe par. This time he went with 7-iron, and the ball landed safely behind the cup, 18 feet away.

"I just trying to make some birdies somewhere, and luckily I made that putt on 16," Woods said.

It felt like the only putt he made all day. Ultimately, it was the only that mattered.