Jim Furyk ended his season with a first victory in 28 months as he held off a strong European effort to win the Chevron World Challenge in California.
The American Ryder Cup star saved his best until last, shooting a closing, five-under-par 67 to reach 13 under and win the 18-player tournament at Sherwood Country Club near Los Angeles.
Woods had withdrawn from the event he hosts last Monday, citing the injuries he sustained in a car crash outside his Florida home three days previously.
Graeme McDowell proved to be the lucky benefactor of Woods' strife as he earned a last-minute invitation as the world number one's replacement in the tournament and the Northern Irishman took second place, a shot behind Furyk.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington and European number one Lee Westwood of England claimed a tie for third a further stroke away from Furyk on 11 under, while Ian Poulter was in a four-way tie for fifth on nine under alongside Americans Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Sean O'Hair.
Furyk had started the day at eight under, two shots behind overnight leaders McDowell and Y E Yang of Korea.
He was leading at 12 under with two holes to play but found the large bunker in front of the par-three 17th and was staring at bogey when he laid up on the large green.
The American had other ideas and sank the long par putt to stay in the lead.
Westwood birdied the 17th for a share of the lead at 12 under only for Furyk to then birdie the last for a second consecutive, five-under-par 67 to move back into the outright lead at 13 under.
In the final group, McDowell had birdied the 16th to get to 11 under but missed a birdie opportunity on 17, leaving Westwood with the most realistic chance of catching Furyk.
The Englishman, needing a birdie to tie, left his second shot from the middle of the fairway pushed up against the right fringe of the green.
Needing to hope out to force a play-off, Westwood caught a break when he asked for a ruling on an unplayable stance caused by a recessed sprinkler head and after a lengthy discussion with an official won a drop.
That left him still up against the longer grass but able to putt instead of chip although Westwood's effort was pushed wide and left with a short par putt, he missed and had to settle for a 70 at 11 under.
That left McDowell as the only man left able to tie with Furyk and he nearly pulled it off, sending his second shot to within two feet of the hole. It was not enough, however, to prevent Furyk picking up his first win of the year.
Harrington had experienced a real see-saw round, bogeying the first and then holing out from a bunker for eagle at the second. The Irishman bogeyed the third but then chipped in from the fringe for par at the par-five fifth.
Another bogey saw him slip to eight under but he once again got back in the mix with a brilliant chip-in at the par-five 16th, holing out from a downhill lie in heavy rough and clearing a bunker in the process for an eagle to take him to 10 under.
The rollercoaster round still had another dip, though, as Harrington also came up short off the 17th tee and plugged in the steep uphill bank between bunker and green.
An embedded ball greeted him and he got a free drop on the way to a par before a birdie at the last left him at 11 under with final 70.
Overnight co-leader Yang, the US PGA champion, fell away with a two-over 74 to finish on eight under while England's Paul Casey finally shook off the rust after more than three months suffering with a rib injury to shoot the low round of the week, a 64, to finish on six under par.
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