Amid raucous scenes, with the massive gallery chanting his name as he played the final hole, he tapped in to move within two victories of Sam Snead's all-time record of 82 titles.
"I was having a hard time not crying coming up the last hole," Woods said in a greenside interview.
"It was just a ground out there. I loved every bit of it, the fight, the grind, the tough conditions.
"You just had to suck it up and hit shots."
The victory capped off a season that started with questions over whether the 42-year-old would even be able to play a full schedule after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in April 2017.
"My body was a wreck," recalled Woods, who hoped the surgery would alleviate debilitating back and leg pain.
But the surgery proved successful beyond his wildest dreams.
"Beginning of the year, that was a tall order (expecting to win) but as the year progressed I proved I could play," he said.
"I found a swing, put the pieces together and knew I could do it again."
Woods was never seriously challenged in the final round after starting with a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.
He built a five-shot lead at the turn and despite bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes, he held on ahead of fast-finishing Billy Horschel, who carded 66 for second place on nine-under.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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