( CNN ) -- Tiger Woods won his first golf tournament in more than two years , narrowly defeating fellow American Zach Johnson to capture the Chevron World Challenge title Sunday . Woods finished three strokes under par for the day , allowing him to leapfrog Johnson for the one-stroke win at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks , California , according to the PGA Tour 's website . The victory was the 35-year-old golfer 's first since capturing the Australian Masters title in November 2009 . `` It feels awesome , '' said Woods on his official website , tigerwoods.com . `` It was a lot of fun coming down the stretch . '' The five-time winner was one stroke behind Johnson going up the 17th , before he birdied the final two holes -- including a 16-foot putt at 17 -- to clinch the title . `` If I do n't make that putt it 's in Zach 's control , '' Woods said . `` That putt was huge . '' Despite the disappointing finish , Johnson was quick to pay tribute to his rival . `` He made two great putts , '' he said , in quotes carried by tigerwoods.com . `` You just tip your hat . I 'm proud of how I handled the situation and continued to fight . '' Woods the hero as United States retain Presidents Cup . There were 18 players total in the Chevron field , far fewer than in more traditional tournaments . Even so , the PGA Tour website noted that Woods moved up 20 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking with the win . Woods had reigned as golf 's No . 1 for a record 623 weeks between 1997 and 2010 , until his career stalled amid a slew of injuries and well-publicized reports of affairs that led to the end of his marriage . In October , he dropped out of the world 's top 50 for the first time in 15 years . The PGA Tour 's 2012 `` regular season '' schedule officially begins the first week in January at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua , Hawaii . In April , Woods likely will be among those battling in the season 's first major , The Masters , which he has won four times .
Woods narrowly beats Zach Johnson to win the Chevron World Challenge . It 's his first win since a victory at the Australian Masters in November 2009 . Woods jumps 20 spots in world golf rankings with the win , the PGA Tour says .