SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) – Tiger Woods usually  measures the success of a season by the number of majors he wins  but after clinching a Presidents Cup for the U.S. yesterday the  world number one conceded this year had been special.  

While Woods was unable to add to his collection of 14 major  titles, it would be hard to find any disappointment in a  campaign that produced six PGA Tour wins, a $10 million bonus as  Tour Championship winner and the winning putt in a 19 1/2 to 14  1/2 Cup win over the Internationals.  

“It’s a great year, are you kidding me?,” Woods told  reporters. “Even though I didn’t win a major championship, to  come back from what I came back from, to have the success I had  this year, I don’t think anyone would have predicted that and  I’m very proud of that.”  
The season began with great uncertainty for Woods, who did  not return to the PGA Tour until late February for the  WGC-Accenture Match Play World Championship after eight months  out recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.  

The 33-year-old American quickly confirmed he was back at  his best, his victories producing more than $20 million in prize  money to make him sport’s first $1 billion athlete according to  Forbes magazine.  

The Presidents Cup victory also came with a tasty measure of  revenge for Woods, who secured the trophy with a six-foot putt  for a crushing 6&5 win over South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun, who  spectacularly overhauled him in the final round of the PGA  Championship.  
“He got me there and I figured I would get him here,” said  Woods. “It certainly wasn’t the same atmosphere but it was an  important but then it was still an important point.  

“He got off to a good start.  

“He birdied the first and I made a mistake there and from  then on, I actually played pretty good.  

“I hit a couple loose shots here and there but I really  putted well, other than missing that putt over there at 12, that  was about it.”  

There were plenty of fist-pumps during a week in which Woods  went unbeaten, posting a record of 5-0, but the clinching putt  produced only a muted reaction, the world number one taking off  his cap then walking over to shake hands with Yang.  

“I did not know at all because last time I saw the board, we  were down six matches, so I figured that I could handle my match  and just worry about that,” said Woods, who becomes just third  player to go 5-0 in a Presidents Cup giving him a record 18  career wins.  

“I saw we were down six matches at one point so I just kept  my head down and tried to extend my own lead.  

 “I did pretty good coming in.”