San Diego ? Eerie fog finally lifted and gave way to a bizarre victory by Tiger Woods.

Ending the longest stroke-play drought of his PGA Tour career, Woods barely made it through a 31-hole Sunday at Torrey Pines by taking advantage of everyone else’s mistakes and one bad break for Charles Howell III to win the Buick Invitational.

Ultimately, Woods almost made the biggest blunder of all.

Trying to reach the par-5 18th green in two with a one-shot lead, he hit a 2-iron so badly that it landed on a strip of fairway to the right of the big pond. He finally ended the suspense by making an 18-foot birdie putt to close with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot victory over Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, Luke Donald and Howell.

It was his first stroke-play victory since the American Express Championship in October 2003. Woods only won the Match Play Championship last year.

“This golf course is so difficult, anything could happen,” Woods said.

Almost everything did.

Lehman went toe-to-toe with Woods during the final six holes and hit better shots on most of them. But he caught a plugged lie in the bunker on No. 17 to make bogey and fall one shot behind. Needing a birdie at the 18th to have any chance, Lehman hit a fat wedge that barely got over the water, and he wound up making bogey.

Woods finished at 16-under 272 and earned $864,000, putting him atop the PGA Tour money list for the first time since Vijay Singh won at Disney in October 2003.

“He whipped the field playing lousy,” Lehman said. “I give him a lot of credit.”

It was his largest final-round comeback — three shots — since he rallied five years ago from five shots behind at Pebble Beach. But this time, Woods had to rely on everyone around him.

Donald had gone 37 holes without a bogey and was in control of the tournament until he hit 6-iron over the 14th green and into the hazard for a double bogey. One shot behind, he pulled his tee shot into the hazard on No. 17 and had to scramble for bogey. He shot 73.

Howell hit a perfect shot and suffered the cruelest fate on the South course at Torrey Pines.

His sand wedge from 95 yards on No. 18 hit the bottom of the pin and part of the cup, then ricocheted back and into the pond. Howell took off his cap and stared in disbelief.

“I knew I hit the shot perfect,” Howell said. “And then to hit the hole and go into the water, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Obviously, it’s a crazy game.”