"We locked horns pretty good," Tiger Woods, left, said of his final-round battle with Padraig Harrington, congratulating Woods here.

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AKRON, Ohio — The battle was everything Tiger Woods expected. The finish was nothing anyone imagined, except for the sight of Woods hoisting another World Golf Championship trophy at Firestone.

Woods was in trouble in the trees on the famous par-5 16th hole, one shot behind Padraig Harrington, trying to figure out how he could squeeze out a victory Sunday in the Bridgestone Invitational.

He delivered another signature moment, this one an 8-iron from 178 yards that wound up a foot from the hole for birdie. Moments later, with an official timing his every shot, Padraig Harrington rushed his way into a stunning meltdown. He hit five straight shots without losing his turn, made triple bogey and became a mere bystander the final two holes as Woods won for the 16th time in 30 WGC events.

Woods closed with a 5-under 65, becoming the first player in PGA Tour history to win seven times on the same golf course and giving him back-to-back victories going into the PGA Championship, his last chance to win a major this year.

Woods won it with an 8-iron that was pure theater.

"When I hit it, I knew it was going to be a good one," he said. "I thought it was going to be just a little bit past the hole. I was surprised it spun that much considering it was that much downwind. But it came back and ended up a kick-in."

He believes Harrington lost it with a stopwatch that was unnecessary.

They were timed earlier in the round, then told by John Paramor, the PGA European Tour's chief referee, that they were on the clock on the 16th tee, with Harrington in the lead by one shot. Knowing he had no time to contemplate his escape from the trees, the collar of a bunker and a dicey flop shot behind the green, he turned the hole known as "The Monster" into an utter mess.

The pivotal play was his fourth shot behind the green, which came out hot and into the water.

"I had an awkward fourth shot," Harrington said. "I had to go after it and probably rushed that a bit. That was the end of that."

Harrington told Woods when it was over, "We'll do battle many times again."

Woods said he looked forward to that.

"We locked horns pretty good," Woods said.

"I made a couple of mistakes. Paddy was being consistent, grinding it out, doing all the right things. Unfortunately, 16 happened. But it was a great battle all day."

Paramor said the final pairing was 17 minutes behind schedule on the 16th hole and "we had no choice but to put them on the clock."