McIlroy holds off Tiger, goes to No. 1

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Rory McIlroy won the Honda Classic with a performance worthy of the new No. 1 player in golf.

But just when it looked as though McIlroy had no serious challenge Sunday, Tiger Woods put some color into that red shirt with a birdie-eagle finish for a 62 - his lowest final round ever - to get within 1 shot of the lead.

McIlroy could hear the roar from the farthest corner of PGA National, and he responded with some clutch golf of his own. He made an eight-foot birdie putt, and then made three par saves during a daunting stretch at PGA National.

He played it safe with a 2-shot lead on the par-5 18th and made par to close with a 1-under 69 and the victory he needed to replace Luke Donald atop the world ranking that will be published Monday.

McIlroy is the 16th player to be No. 1 in the world, and the second-youngest behind Woods, who was 21 when he first went to No. 1 in 1997.

Woods made two eagles in the final round and wound up 2 shots behind, along with Tom Gillis, who birdied the last hole for a 69.

McIlroy, who finished at 12-under 268, won for the fifth time in his career. He has finished out of the top five only once since the PGA Championship last August.