Tiger Woods wants to add a dash of Doral and big hint of Bay Hill to his recipe for Masters success when he returns to Augusta National next week. The world number one announced his full recovery from last summer's reconstructive knee surgery on Sunday when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in just his third event back after eight months out.

The American began his comeback at the end of February at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play but was knocked out in the second round by South Africa's Tim Clark.

Next up was a more encouraging tie for ninth place at Doral in the WGC-CA Championship in Miami, when Woods declared himself delighted with his play from tee to green while bemoaning his putting.

At Bay Hill though it was his putter that was red hot, more than compensating for wayward driving as the defending champion came from five shots behind to defeat 54-hole leader Sean O'Hair by a shot with a 16ft birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

With the anterior cruciate ligament problem in his left knee now firmly a thing of the past, Woods signed off his competitive preparation for the Masters with a sixth victory at Bay Hill and 66th career win on the PGA Tour.

Asked what he would like to take with him from his three events this season into Augusta, the four-time Masters champion was unequivocal.

"I'd like to hit the ball like I did at Doral and putt like I did this week," Woods said. "As I look back at my three tournaments I've played this year I've gotten better at each one, and that was the whole idea was to keep progressing to Augusta.

"I was hoping I could get my game where I could feel hitting shots again because I'd only been on the range and putting at home.

"Doral was great for that because I got better each and every day with my feel, and this week I came right out of the gate and I had it just because I had basically got it down at Doral.

"At Doral I didn't get anything out of my rounds. This week two of the rounds I got probably the max I could get out of those rounds, and that's what you have to do.

"I got a lot out of my rounds of golf, good saves, big putts at certain times, and that's what you have to do in order to score."

Woods had needed a top-two finish to deny Phil Mickelson the opportunity to overtake him at the top of the world rankings by winning this week's Shell Houston Open.

And the 33-year-old feels Sunday's win is an endorsement of his rehabilitation process after the surgery which followed his play-off victory over Rocco Mediate in the US Open at Torrey Pines last June.

"It's a validation of what I've been working on from the physical standpoint of all my lifting and preparing physically, but also the work I've been doing with Hank (Haney, his instructor) and getting all of that organised," Woods said.

"Certainly this win definitely validates all the things I've been trying to do."