Even with a bad neck Tiger Woods remains head and shoulders above his rivals in the countdown to next week's Masters. The world number one's final competitive tune-up for the first major of the season was to win the CA World Championship in Miami for a third time in a row.

"I slept kind of funky one night and my neck's been stiff for about three days now," revealed Woods. "That's what happens when you get to 30. But you can't have any better way (to prepare for Augusta), getting a 'W' (win) right before you go."

A two-stroke victory over Ryder Cup team-mate Brett Wetterich does not sound as impressive as Phil Mickelson's 13-shot win going into the Masters last year, but Woods controlled things from the second round onwards.

And this after making a complete mess of his finish to the previous week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I'm very excited about the things that I've been able to rectify on Monday and Tuesday and then obviously apply Thursday through Sunday," added Woods, who now has more individual World Championship victories - 13 - than all his rivals put together.

His lead at Doral was six with eight to play, but two bogeys in the next three holes and then birdies by Wetterich on the 15th and 16th suddenly raised the possibility of a dramatic finish.

Wetterich missed a 10-foot chance at the 17th and so, with a three-shot cushion, Woods took an iron for safety off the final tee and did not even attempt to go for the green in two on the dangerous par four.

When Wetterich fired in his second shot to inside 10 feet and Woods went long with his third - close to a spot from where Mark Calcavecchia putted into the lake - it was not quite over again.

But Woods' putt stopped less than three feet from the flag and Wetterich left his birdie attempt short.

Joint third were Australians Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy and also Sergio Garcia. The first question to the Spaniard afterwards, though, was about him spitting into a hole in annoyance on Saturday.

"I apologised already. Are you embarrassed that I didn't spit today that you didn't have anything better to ask me? That's fine. Next, then," said Garcia to the reporter. "I apologised to everybody on TV, yesterday. I said it was a stupid thing and, you know, there's no excuse. Obviously you weren't watching that, but anyway. Next, please."

England's Paul Casey was in a tie for ninth - not bad after starting the tournament under the weather and with a round of 76.

Padraig Harrington finished in a tie for 19th after rounds of 73 and 71 over the weekend.