When Charley Hoffman was 16, most junior golfers in San Diego went to the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines and pressed against the ropes to watch the stars play.

Hoffman didn't have to. He was inside the ropes, and he wasn't carrying a scoring sign either.

In 1994, Hoffman became the youngest amateur qualifier in the history of the Buick Invitational -- a record that stands today. Two years later, he qualified again, and he played on the weekend, the last amateur to achieve that feat. He amateur qualified again in 1998.

It all came back in waves of memories for Hoffman and about 30 friends and family members who followed his round of 6-under-par 66 on the North Course at Torrey Pines in the first round of the Buick Invitational.

The score put Hoffman into a 10-way tie for second, one shot behind leader Brandt Jobe and Thomas Levet, who both shot 65s on the North Course, the track from which all of the top 11 scorers hailed.

"This would be the biggest win I could have, San Diego. I think it would rank up there with a major," said Hoffman, who grew up about 25 miles from Torrey Pines in Poway.

"It seems like the golf courses change a lot on the TOUR, but the North Course hasn't changed very much at all. The greens are still the same and we're still hitting from about the same tees we did in junior golf. It's a big advantage when you know where everything is and where you want to be."

Hoffman's mother Liz was a part of an entourage that cheered wildly when Charley putted out on the 18th hole.

"It's just exciting to see him do so well on the North Course," she said. "That has always been his nemesis. I'm as confident as I can be about him on the South, but to see him shoot 6 under on the North, that must be a record."

True enough, Hoffman, 29, has been frustrated by his previous North experiences. In 2001, for instance, the year before the South Course was renovated, Hoffman was among the leaders after the first day of the Buick Invitational when he shot 67 on the South. Then he shot 77 on the North the next day and missed the cut.

"I think I've always had trouble with the greens," Hoffman said. "They've always been a little soft. When you get poa annua, it's kind of hard to make putts. I made a few putts today, and that was the key."

Hoffman gave himself mere tap-ins in shooting 33 on the front. He didn't have to make anything longer than 5 feet. But on the backside he went through a three-birdie stretch in which he chipped in at No. 12, made a 25-footer at the 13th and got up and down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 14th.

"With the track record I have, it's great to get a good round in on the North," Hoffman said. "It's better than shooting a good round on the South and then thinking you're going to get a pushover on the North. It isn't that easy."

In his eight previous appearances in the Buick Invitational, Hoffman was either an amateur qualifier or he got an exemption from the Century Club of San Diego.

"I never would have known what the PGA TOUR was like," Hoffman said. "You see sort of how you stack up. Usually, you don't stack up, but that's what makes you go out and try harder."

Hoffman was always grateful for the past exemptions, but this year's tournament feels different. By finishing 19th on the Nationwide Tour money list last year, the former UNLV star earned his first PGA TOUR card and he got in this week on his number.

"It feels great," he said. "Through my career, it's what I've worked towards, getting my PGA TOUR card. I'm very comfortable out here. I know the majority of the people and I feel like I belong. I feel like it's time to go out and play and get it going."