Only this win didn’t follow a typical script.

Caught in a tense duel with Bo Van Pelt on another sweltering day in Bethesda, Md., it looked as though Woods blinked first until Van Pelt matched him with mistakes of his own. Woods closed with a 2-under-par 69 and won by two shots when Van Pelt finished with his third straight bogey and had to settle for a 71.

Woods won for the third time this year, the most of anyone on the PGA Tour, and it was the 74th win of his career. That moved him past Jack Nicklaus into second place on the tour list, eight short of the record set by Sam Snead.

Woods, who finished at 8-under 276, moved to the top of the PGA Tour money list and the FedEx Cup standings for the first time since September 2009.

He effectively clinched the win with a 9-iron down the hill toward the peninsula green on the 18th, a shot so pure that Woods started walking and twirled the club moments after he made contact.

And so ended a wild week in Washington — record heat Friday, followed by a windstorm that toppled dozens of trees at Congressional and forced the tournament to keep spectators out Saturday. They were back in force for the final round, and they were treated to some pretty good theater.

‘‘What an incredible week,’’ said Woods, the host of the AT&T National and a winner for the second straight time it has come to Congressional. ‘‘Everybody, thank you for being patient with us. Yesterday was a silent day. I think everyone saved up for today. What an atmosphere to play in front of.’’

There wasn’t much to cheer in the final hour except for the 15th hole, when Woods holed a 20-foot birdie putt that crawled into the front of the cup, and Van Pelt matched that birdie with a 10-footer as the pressure was building.

Van Pelt had him on the ropes on the par-5 16th by ripping a 345-yard tee shot and having only a 6-iron into the green. Woods hit a spectator in the left rough with his tee shot, laid up, and then attacked a back flag only to see the ball tumble over the green and down an 8-foot slope.

That’s when Van Pelt answered with unforced errors of his own. His 6-iron was heavy and didn’t quite reach the bunker, meaning he had to plant his feet in the sand and grip the wedge on the shaft. He moved it only a few yards, still in the collar of the rough, and chipped about 12 feet by the hole. Woods’s chip up the slope rolled 15 feet by, and he missed the putt to end his streak of 41 straight holes without a bogey.

Van Pelt also missed his par putt, and they walked away from that mess still tied for the lead.

On the 17th, Van Pelt caught a flier from the first cut of rough and the ball shot over the green and near the grandstand, leaving him an impossible chip.

He hit through the green and had to scramble to make bogey, and Woods took the outright lead for the third time all day — this time for good.

He made a 6-foot par putt, taking a one-shot lead to the 18th, and played it to perfection.

Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, didn’t make birdie and closed with a 77.

Adam Scott went out in 31 and was briefly tied for the lead until a few bogeys on the back nine. He had to settle for a 67, which put him alone in third at 5 under.

Champions — Joe Daley won the Senior Players Championship for his first Champions Tour title, closing with a 2-under 68 for a two-stroke win over Tom Lehman in Pittsburgh.

The 51-year-old Daley, winless in his brief PGA Tour career, had a 14-under 266 total at Fox Chapel. He earned $405,000 and full Champions Tour status for a calendar year.

Lehman finished with a 69. He was trying to win his second straight Champions Tour major after taking the Regions Traditions in his previous start.

European — Jamie Donaldson of Wales won his first European Tour title by shooting a 6-under 66 to clinch a four-stroke victory at the Irish Open in Portrush, Northern Ireland.

Beginning the day with a one-shot lead, Donaldson birdied five of his last seven holes to shoot a fourth straight round in the 60s to total 18-under 270 and end an 11-year trophy drought that covered 255 tournaments.

LPGA — Ai Miyazato shot a 6-under 65 to overcome a five-shot deficit and win the NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers for her second Tour victory of the year and ninth overall.

The Japanese star made a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to reach 12 under for the tournament, and her victory at Pinnacle Country Club was secured when Mika Miyazato missed a 15-foot birdie attempt on No. 18.