TORONTO, March 7: Tiger Woods regained the world number one ranking after winning a gripping duel with Phil Mickelson to register a one stroke victory at the Doral Open on Sunday.

Trailing Mickelson by two shots at the start of play, Woods mounted one of his patented charges to card a final round six-under 66 at Miami's Doral Resort for a 24-under 264 total.

The victory was Woods's second of the season and returned the 29-year-old American to the top of the rankings, ending Vijay Singh's 26-week reign as number one. Woods had held top spot for a record 264 consecutive weeks before being dethroned by the Fijian last September.

The triumph earned Woods $990,000 and a high-performance sports car which he said he would give to caddie Steve Williams, who is still recovering from injuries he sustained in a motor racing accident in January in New Zealand.

The final round of the $5.5 million event took on the feel of a heavyweight title bout as the two most popular players on the PGA Tour went toe-to-toe on the famed Blue Monster, treating the huge galleries to a pulsating afternoon of golf.

Having lost to Woods all three times they have clashed in a final round, a deflated Mickelson slumped off the 18th bloodied but unbowed demanding a rematch as soon as possible.

LEADING FINAL SCORES: