“Thank you. You guys look so sad,” Singh said with a laugh after being congratulated for winning and taking over the number one ranking.

“No, it is great. I have worked pretty hard for this. I finally achieved what I wanted to do starting at the beginning of the year. It was a good win, as well. Coming down the stretch got pretty tight there, but I got focused and I played pretty good coming down.”

After the round ended, Woods took off his cap, congratulated the winner and Singh acknowledged the crowd by raising his fist in the air.

In the final round, Singh and Woods each shot three-under-par 69s. Singh finished at 16-under 268 overall, three shots in front of Woods and Adam Scott.

Singh, who needed to finish ahead of Woods to take over the top ranking, was paired with Woods in the final round of an event for the fourth time.

“It (being number one) probably has not sunk in yet. It was a goal from the beginning of the year. But like I said to you guys, that was not my goal coming over here. My goal was to come over here and win the golf tournament. This is the Deutsche Bank event, and that was my goal, to win the title.

“I enjoy playing with Tiger. It is intense. He is a very intense player and he makes you know that. So you just have to go out there and play your own game and beat him and that is the only way to play.”

In the three previous head-to-head showdowns, Woods finished ahead of Singh each time.

“This is the best ball-striking week I have had all year, and unfortunately I did not win because I did not play the par-fives well at all in the final round,” Woods said.

“I missed that putt there on 14, which turned the momentum around because I had it on my side.”

Singh wrapped up the victory with a 23-foot birdie on the 17th while Woods missed his 15-foot birdie putt to fall three shots back.

The latest win for Singh also pushed his earnings on the year to €6,620,486.

Singh, who started the day with a three-stroke advantage, went four up with a birdie on the first, but Woods chipped away and drew even with Singh when he holed out from 63 feet for birdie at the 12th and Singh bogeyed the 13th.

“My main goal was to go out there and win the tournament,” he said.

“But it got pretty tight. I think the 10th hole, I was still one up or two up. He played well and made that great chip-in on number 12 and I bogeyed number 13.”

“That is why there is 18 holes. It is not just a nine-hole event. I was playing well. I think that putt on 14 kind of really pumped me up a bit and then I birdied 15.”

But Woods bogeyed the next hole and Singh birdied 15 to go 14 under and regain a two-shot lead.

“I had a great opportunity to win,” Woods said.

“I got it to even with five holes to go, and I just did not do it.”

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Scott, playing two groups ahead of Woods and Singh, carded four straight birdies from the ninth to move to 12 under and tie Woods.

Scott birdied the par-five 18th to go three-under and was being interviewed as Woods birdied 18.

“Yeah, it was a good run,” Scott said. “And maybe if I could keep that going for a few more holes, I would have had more of a realistic chance. I just played a beautiful back nine. I hit every green, and every putt I hit had a chance. So a couple of them, I am a little shocked they did not go in.”

In a battle of two of the longest hitters on tour, Singh outfought Woods with birdies on 10 of the 12 par-fives over the weekend. Woods had seven birdies.

“Unfortunately I just did not take care of the par-fives and you can’t do that around this golf course,” Woods said. “The par-fives are to be had and I did not do it.”

On the 553-yard second hole, Woods hit his drive 359 yards into the rocks and injured his wrist and damaged his lob wedge when he hit a rock trying to get out and the ball went four feet. He replaced the wedge and used the new one to hole out on 12.

“I broke the sand wedge, and my wrist hurt all day,” Woods said.

John Rollins and Daniel Chopra tied for fourth at 10 under.