and-a-half year drought on the PGA Tour when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five strokes Sunday, sending a warning signal to his rivals ahead of next month's Masters. The former world No. 1 shot a final round 70 to finish at 13-under-par at the Bay Hill course where had won six times before. The American claimed his 72nd PGA Tour title and his first since the BMW Championship in Sept. 2009. “It does feel good. It feels really good. It has been a lot of hard work,” Woods said. “I am so thankful for a lot of people helping me along the way, they know who they are.” Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, finished second, five shots behind Woods, after starting the final round a shot in arrears. The win was the first for Woods since the very public breakdown of his marriage after sordid details of his affairs were revealed. It was also the first victory for Woods since the rebuilding of his swing by coach Sean Foley and comes just two weeks after he limped out of a PGA event at Doral, raising doubts about his fitness for the Masters. McDowell was never able to mount a serious challenge to Woods after he made a double bogey on the first hole, going from one greenside bunker to another and closed with a 74. Woods led by four at the turn and maintained his composure on the back nine in a time to end his title drought and boost his confidence ahead of the Masters. “This is a steady progression, this was coming. I've been close a number of times and just had to stay the course,” said Woods. Fast greens and high winds made for some challenging conditions but Woods limited himself to two bogeys and made some key saves, including a 13-foot putt for par on the 15th that gave Woods a four shot lead and effectively ended McDowell's hopes. Fans followed Woods down to the 18th green, cheering wildly and after he made par on the final hole, the old chant of “Tiger, Tiger” boomed out from the gallery. Arnold Palmer, meanwhile, was hospitalized Sunday afternoon because of high blood pressure from new medication, missing the trophy presentation at his tournament when Woods won after a long break. Palmer was being kept overnight as a precaution. Tseng wins Classic In California, world No. 1 Yani Tseng captured her second straight LPGA Tour title with a commanding six shot victory at the Kia Classic Sunday. Taiwan's Tseng closed with a two-under 70 to reach a 14-under 274 total and take her third win in five events this year. The 23-year-old Tseng led wire-to-wire at the La Costa's Legends Course, becoming the second-youngest player to reach 15 LPGA Tour wins. Nancy Lopez was 22 when she did it. South Korea's Yoo Sun-young finished second after shooting a 71. China's Feng Shanshan fired a 67 to tie for third with Shin Jiyai of South Korea at seven under. Shin shot a two-over 74.
