Justin Rose was proud of how he remained calm and composed after a rocky start to his final round as he clinched his 10th PGA Tour title at Torrey Pines.
Rose's overnight three-shot lead was whittled down to one when he bogeyed three of the first five holes on the South Course while limiting the damage with a priceless birdie at the third.
But the 38-year-old proved why he is ranked as the No 1 golfer in the world as he birdied the seventh and ninth to restore his three-stroke advantage at the turn, which he extended with another gain at the 10th.
And, with Adam Scott piling on the pressure as he finished with four consecutive birdies, Rose held firm when he followed clutch par-saves at 13, 14 and 15 with a birdie at 16, and another at the last capped a two-shot win over the Australian.
Victory in California saw Rose become the most successful English golfer on the PGA Tour ahead of Sir Nick Faldo, while he also surpassed $50million in career earnings, excluding his huge bonus for winning the FedExCup last year.
Rose admitted it was an "awesome feeling" to land his 10th win in his 21st year as a professional, and he added: "Double-digit in wins sounds really cool and winning is never easy.
"When you've beaten a high-class field at a great venue, that satisfies you as a player and, mentally, it counts as a win-and-a-half.
"Over the first six holes today, it was a case of anything that could go wrong did go wrong, and I felt I didn't play that badly. In the past I might have got a little rattled, a little shaken by that start but I didn't today.
"I had a bit of a gut-check time on the seventh hole but I'd been playing so well all week. I just went about my business and it really started to turn around.
"Twenty-one under par around Torrey Pines is great golf, but you had to do it and it felt like I had to work hard for this. I haven't won in January since about 2002, so this feels great."
Rose dedicated his win to absent caddie Mark Fulcher, who is currently out of action as he recovers from heart surgery, and Rose added: "Fooch that was for you mate. I'm sure watching us all weekend was harder than the heart surgery.
"There's two trophies now in my golf room that you have to get rid of. There was one before now there's two. So no doubt that's a mission for us both. I love you and I'll see you soon."
Rose's victory also validated his decision to change equipment at the end of last year, and he was delighted at how quickly he has managed to adapt to the new driver, new irons and new putter in his bag.
"I felt really comfortable with the clubs immediately," he said. "I can't believe how good the driver is and how well I've driven the ball this week on a tough test. And obviously the putter, that's gone great as well.
"It's a whole new look for me, but I don't mind it if it's going to produce this golf. The off-season was short and sharp and I didn't quite know exactly how it was going to come out, but it's awesome to play this well this week."