Tiger Woods wins Arnold Palmer Invitatoinal, now No. 1

Tiger Woods, left, is congratulated by caddie Joe LaCava on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods is back to No. 1 in the world with a game that look as good as ever.

Woods tied a PGA Tour record today by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the eighth time, and this one had some extra significance. It returned him to the top of the world ranking for the first time since the final week of October 2010, the longest spell of his career.

Woods never let anyone closer than two shots in the final round at Bay Hill that was delayed one day by storms. With a conservative bogey he could afford on the last hole, he closed with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot win over Justin Rose.

Next up is the Masters, where Woods will try to end his five-year drought in the majors.

Woods fell as low as No. 58 in the world as he coped with a crisis in his personal life and injuries to his left leg. One week after he announced he was dating Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn, Woods celebrated his third win of the season, and his sixth going back to Bay Hill a year ago.

"It's a byproduct of hard work, patience and getting back to winning golf tournaments," Woods said.

Vonn tweeted moments after his win, "Number 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Like so many other wins, this one was never really close.