Stewart Cink at the WGC Invitational in Akron on Sunday. (AP)

Akron (US): Tiger Woods thrives on winning numbers and appropriately clinched the 52nd PGA Tour victory of his career on Sunday exactly 10 years after he turned professional.

The world number one, who joined the paid ranks in Milwaukee on August 27, 1996, edged fellow American Stewart Cink in a sudden-death playoff for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Shiv Kapur, in only his second season as a professional on the international circuit, finished tied 65th in his first appearance in a World Golf Championships series tournament. The 24-year-old Indian shot a final round of four-over 74 and finished with 13-over 283.

More importantly, the 27,322 euro Kapur picked up for his 65th place carried his past wins on the European Tour — euros 200,000 to 207,042 — for the 97th place. That should secure his European Tour card next season, as the top 115 go through to the Tour.

Kapur starting on the tenth bogeyed the first two holes and then managed a birdie on his third, the 12th of the course, but with further bogeys on 14th and 15th, he was three-over at that stage. He had only one more bogey on the second, but no birdies for the rest of the day.

It was Woods’ fifth victory at Firestone Country Club in seven starts and his fourth in a row on the PGA Tour.

However, he played down his achievement in joining Byron Nelson in fifth place in the all-time Tour standings with 52 career wins.

“That’s misleading, I think, because Mr. Nelson retired at a very early age,” Woods told reporters after holing an eight-foot birdie putt to beat Cink on the fourth extra hole at a rain-lashed Firestone.

Woods and Nelson trail only Arnold Palmer (62), Ben Hogan (64), Jack Nicklaus (73) and Sam Snead (82) in PGA Tour career victories.

Asked whether he viewed his peers or the golfing greats of the past as his main competition, the 30-year-old relied: “It’s always yourself. You’re always trying to better what you’ve done in the past, always. Hopefully that’s good enough to beat the rest of the guys.”

As late afternoon rain swept across the course, the world number one triumphed by sinking an eight-foot birdie putt at the fourth extra hole where 2004 champion Cink found the front greenside bunker with his approach.

Woods had a chance of sealing the win on the previous hole but left a par putt from a similar distance an inch short. Cink ran his own par attempt there a couple of feet past the cup.

The pair had finished the 72 regulation holes on 10-under-par 270, Woods carding a two-under 68 and 2004 champion Cink closing with a 69.

“I wasn’t swinging the club very consistently today at all. I got hot on the back nine, made some nice putts and messed up on 16. But it’s always nice to walk away with a W (win), however you do it.

Woods has claimed 11 individual WGC titles in 21 starts and his winning streak over the last six weeks includes last month’s British Open and the PGA Championship seven days ago.

American Jim Furyk, who twice held a share of the lead in a wildly fluctuating final round at Firestone, signed off with a 68 to finish alone in third place at nine under.

Woods, who covered the front nine in level-par 35, appeared to have the title firmly in his grasp after reeling off three birdies in four holes from the 10th.

After hitting a superb approach on 10, he rolled in a 35-footer at the par-three 12th and sank a 22-footer at the par-four 13th to break two strokes clear of the chasing pack.

However, he faltered with a three-putt bogey at the monster 667-yard 16th before being joined at 10 under by Cink, who birdied 16 and also 17, where he rammed in a 22-footer.

Both players parred the last to take the tournament into extra time, where the first three holes were shared with two pars followed by a bogey.