AKRON, Ohio – Tiger Woods overcame some shaky putting yesterday by making the one that mattered.

Woods rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt that broke sharply into the right side of the cup, then escaped with par from the trees on the 18th hole for a 1-under 71 and a one-shot victory over Chris Di-Marco in the NEC Invitational.

Woods made it seven consecutive years with at least one World Golf Championship title since the series began in 1999. He has won nine of the 18 WGC events he has played.

Despite his dominance at Firestone – four victories in his last six trips – this one required the most work.

Woods missed five putts inside 8 feet and trailed Kenny Perry by two shots when they made the turn. Even the birdie putt that finally gave him the lead required an approach from 189 yards over the water. It wasn’t over until he pitched through the trees and onto the 18th green for a two-putt par from 20 feet.

“Let’s just say I’ve had better days,” Woods said with a smile when asked about his putting.

He finished at 6-under 274 and earned $1.3 million for his fifth victory of the year, one more than Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.

DiMarco, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the Masters, thought he might get another shot at him when he shot a 68 to finish at 275. Instead, he was forced to look back at a bogey on the 17th when he went after the flag and wound up in deep grass behind the green.

Playing four groups ahead of Woods, he had a 20-foot birdie on the 18th that grazed the edge of the cup. He watched Woods play the last three holes from the dining room.

“If you’re hoping for him to make bogey, you didn’t do what you needed to do out there,” DiMarco.

Paul McGinely, one of four players who had at least a share of the lead, fell out of contention with a bogey on the 17th and shot 72 to tie for third with Singh (67) and Ryan Palmer (69). Perry bogeyed five of six holes and wound up tied for sixth after a 74.

It was the first time Woods won with a final round over par since he shot 2-over 72 to win the American Express Championship – another WGC event – two years ago outside Atlanta.

He now has 45 career wins, one more than Walter Hagen for seventh on the all-time list. Twelve of those have come in three tournaments, with four victories apiece at the NEC Invitational, the Masters, and the Bay Hill Invitational.

Woods improved to 34-3 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

Americans now have won 13 of the 18 World Golf Championships since they began in 1999. Woods has won nine of those.