Tiger sounds ominous warning with Torrey triumph

SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods laid down a timely marker for this season's big events by clinching his 75th PGA Tour title with a four-shot victory at the Farmers Insurance Open on Monday at one of his favorite venues.

Though Woods dropped four shots over his last five holes in increasingly difficult conditions at Torrey Pines, his all-round game for most of the week evoked vivid memories of his glory days in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

US golfer Tiger Woods lets go of his driver on his follow through while hitting off the 9th tee during final round play at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, California, Jan 28, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

The American world number two triumphed in his first start on the 2013 PGA Tour, a feat he has previously accomplished six times before going on to win at least one major title in five of those campaigns.

"I'm excited about this year," Woods told reporters after closing with a level-par 72 on the challenging South Course at Torrey Pines, where he won the most recent of his 14 majors at the 2008 US Open.

"I'm excited about what I was able to do last year and win three times, coming from where I came from. Then I felt really good about the things that we're doing and how my game was progressing."

Woods has been working on the fourth swing change of his professional career with coach Sean Foley and together they now appear to be completing the finishing touches.

"I drove the ball beautifully all week, my short game was back to how I know it can be," the 37-year-old Woods said. "My shots that I hit, especially out of these nasty little lies, I hit some really good ones this week.

"You're not going to hit every par-five in two but you need to get up and down, and I did that this week. I'm excited about what I'm doing with Sean and some of the things that I've built."

US golfer Tiger Woods hits from a fairway trap on the 10th hole during final round play at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, California, Jan 28, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

US golfer Tiger Woods holds the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, California, Jan 28, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]