He's not in the field, but Tiger's always at Torrey
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
When you try to associate the world's greatest golfer with a course, most fans will link Tiger Woods to Augusta National.
For good reason.
It was there where Woods earned his first major championship in eye-popping fashion, winning the 1997 Masters by a record-setting 12 shots, thanks to the lowest 72-hole score (18-under 270) in tournament history.
Even before that mind-boggling week, the player whom many believe Woods has since surpassed as the greatest golfer ever, predicted Tiger would make more history at Augusta National than any other venue.
"He'll win as many Masters as Arnold (Palmer) and I combined," Jack Nicklaus said after he and Palmer played a practice round with the then-amateur Woods at the '95 Masters.
That was as strong a statement as the Golden Bear has ever made. Add in Nicklaus' record-six Masters titles with Palmer's four and it was easy to see why there were some double takes. Who wins 10 Masters? Someone who had yet to win his first? But with Woods now owning four green jackets at 33, the Golden Bear seems to be as good a prognosticator as he was a golfer.
Yet Augusta National can no longer be considered Woods' favorite stomping grounds. That honor clearly belongs to Torrey Pines South, especially after what Woods accomplished there last June.
All Woods did was win the 108th U.S. Open on one good leg, somehow making it through 91 holes on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in a performance that showed Woods has as much grit as greatness. Playing despite double-stress fractures in his left leg, Woods ignored doctor's orders for one reason: "I wasn't going to miss playing in a U.S. Open at Torrey Pines," Woods said. (The U.S. Open isn't scheduled to return to Torrey Pines until 2018, when Woods will be 42.)
When it was over, when he outlasted Rocco Mediate in a Monday 18-hole playoff that was stretched to sudden death, Woods made it clear this victory had usurped the '97 Masters among his favorite moments in golf. The cost of securing his 14th career major title was enormous -- Woods hasn't played since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery -- but it was well worth the price, Woods reasons.
This week, the PGA TOUR returns to Torrey Pines for the Buick Invitational, and while his absence had been felt throughout his seven and a half months away from the game, it looms even larger this week at this site.
Who can take a look at the 18th green and not remember his clutch birdie putts on Sunday to force the playoff and on Monday to extend it? Watch someone hit a drive at No. 2, and how can you forget the way Woods doubled over in pain after his tee shot in the playoff?
Of course, Woods has had many wonderful memories at Torrey Pines when he actually had two good legs. The U.S. Open marked his fifth consecutive win on this layout -- including the last four Buick Invitationals by a combined 14 shots.
Talk about a horse for a course.
In his 11 starts at the Buick Invitational as a pro, he has six "Ws" and has never finished out of the top 10. Add in his U.S. Open week and his career earnings of $7,079,000 at Torrey Pines-- which alone would rank him 131st on the PGA TOUR's all-time money list -- and, fittingly, almost as much as Nicklaus ($5.7 million) and Palmer ($1.8 million) combined to earn in their careers.
But Woods' association with Torrey Pines cannot be measured simply by dollars. It was at Torrey Pines South where Woods' father, Earl, allowed his son to play his first "big-boy" course that was situated just an hour from Tiger's hometown of Cypress.
"My dad said, 'OK, you're 10, now you're a big boy, you can play a real golf course,'" Woods recalled during last year's Open. "He said, 'Where do you want to play?' I said. 'Torrey Pines South.'"
Woods has been playing, and winning, at Torrey Pines ever since, starting with the Optimist International Junior World (six times) and ending who knows when.
One of the neat things about Torrey Pines is it's a municipal course operated by the city of San Diego. But we know who really owns this place.
Unfortunately, just not this week.
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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