Tiger Woods smiles while hoisting the trophy after winning the Ford Championship during the final round at Doral Sunday, March 6, 2005, in Doral. Woods defeated Mickelson by one stroke with the score 24 under par. (AP)

Tiger Woods won a dramatic duel with Phil Mickelson Sunday to win the Ford Championship at Doral and regain the No. 1 ranking.

Woods made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to take the lead, then a 6-foot par putt to close with a 6-under 66 and win the Ford Championship at Doral, making him the No. 1 for the first time since September.

Mickelson, coming off dominant victories in his last two stroke-play tournaments, had a chance to force a playoff or possibly win on the 18th. His 30-foot chip looked good all the way, but caught the lower lip. He closed with a 69.

"The whole day, we were going at each other," Woods said. "It was fun to be a part of that."

This Sunday showdown exceeded the expectations of a battle between two of the biggest names in golf. A sellout crowd was buzzing from start-to-finish, especially during wild momentum changes on the back nine of the Blue Monster.

Woods reached the 603-yard 12th hole for the second time in two days for an eagle to take a two-shot lead. Mickelson answered with back-to-back birdies to catch him.

Lefty looked like he had control of the tournament until he missed a 5-foot par putt on the 16th, and then Woods delivered like he usually does with two clutch putts.

Woods, who earned $990,000 for his second victory of the year, finished at 24-under 264 to break by one shot the tournament record at Doral, previously held by Jim Furyk (2000) and Greg Norman (1993). This is the sixth PGA Tour event where Woods has at least a share of the 72-hole record.

(Agencies)

duel: any struggle between two skillful opponents (individuals or groups)（決戰(zhàn)）

birdie putt :（小鳥球）

showdown: a settlement of a quarrel or matter of disagreement in an open direct way（攤牌，一決勝負(fù)）

sellout : （客滿的演出）