DORAL, Fla. - There was the hospital trip ffor two bags of intravenous fluids before the final round. The hot showers and baths to alleviate nighttime chills. The right-handed swing with a left-handed club to extricate his ball from shrubbery. The upstart challenger who wouldn't go away.

Phil Mickelson overcame it all.

And he's closer than ever to overtaking Tiger Woods.

Mickelson shot a 3-under 69 Sunday to beat Nick Watney by one shot at Doral, getting his first World Golf Championships victory and vaulting to No. 2 in the world behind Woods. Mickelson finished at 19-under 269 and earned $1.4 million, the biggest payday of his career.

Not bad for a guy who could barely eat for three days, spent part of his Saturday night in an emergency room fighting dehydration and got tested all the way to the end by Watney, who came up with plenty of dazzling shots before falling just short.

"I enjoy this process of competing, being in the final group, tied for the lead, against a player who is playing some terrific golf, feeling that pressure, feeling that intensity, and how important each shot is throughout the entire round," Mickelson said. "All of that adds to helping me."

He meant helping him win.

He may as well have said helping him take the No. 1 spot in the world.

Mickelson has never been closer to passing Woods in the world rankings, a spot he's long aspired to be in.

But Mickelson would hardly revel in that Sunday, saying all the right things about how Woods ? who was in a strooke-play event for the first time since last summer's U.S. Open, after which he needed knee surgery and missed eight months ? will certainly be good as ever soonn enough.

"He's the greatest player of all time. I don't want to go there with the world ranking," Mickelson said. "What I'm excited about is I'm playing some of my best golf."

Watney finished with a 2-under 70, and had plenty of moments. He holed a birdie chip from behind the ninth green, giving a Tiger-esque fist pump after the ball fell and even drawing applause from Mickelson.