While Tiger Woods won’t be teeing it up in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open, his presence at Torrey Pines will still be left.
This is the tournament Tiger won seven times and, not only that, it was the scene of his incredible 2008 US Open victory on one leg.
His love affair with the California course started back in 1991 when, as a 15-year-old, he captured the Junior World Championship there. Despite being the minimum age, Tiger won the 15 to 17-year-old category.
Here we look back at his Torrey Pines triumphs and what he said after those wins.
1999 Buick Invitational – 22-under
Woods, who had finished third the year before, was a massive nine shots off the pace at halfway. But he rocketed to top spot after a third-round 62 (still the course record on the South Course) and closed out with a 65 to shoot 22-under and win by two from Billy Ray Brown.
What Tiger said: “I just hung in there as long as I possibly could and just hit a lot of good shots, tried to make putts when I could. It was a dogfight all the way. It means a lot to me as all my family and friends are out here and it feels a lot more special when you have them around and you’re actually able to do this in front of, in a sense, a hometown crowd.”
2003 Buick Invitational – 16-under
After finishes of second, fourth and fifth from 2000-2002., Woods shot a pair of 68s on the weekend to secure his second pro win at Torrey Pines. He finished four clear of Carl Pettersson. Woods had teed it up on the back of knee surgery in the off-season and this was his first start of the year.
What Tiger said: “I’m pretty excited to be back. On top of that, to have won the tournament is pretty exciting. To beat a field like this, I’m very excited about that. To have played 72 holes without being sore, which is a big positive, and to have won the tournament is another big positive. It was a successful week from two standpoints. For the entire week, I think I only made four bogeys. I made one bogey in each round. So from that standpoint, I’m very proud of that. I didn’t make that many mistakes.”
2005 Buick Invitational – 16-under
Woods roared into contention with a Friday 63 but had work to do after slipping back with a 72 in round three. He started the closing round in fifth spot but a 68 was enough to secure victory by three shots and end a surprisingly long 15-month win drought. It sparked a memorable season that saw him win two Majors.
What Tiger said: “It feels great, especially today, as long as it was. The start I kind of got off to this morning, it wasn’t very good, but I hung in there. I just felt like I just needed to stay around. This golf course is so difficult, anything can happen. And I wasn’t feeling all that comfortable with my swing today. But I kind of just grinded around. Worked on my short game, it was beautiful today, and I made a lot of par putts.”
2006 Buick Invitational – 10-under
Tiger defended the title for the first time but only after edging out Jose Maria Olazabal and Aussie Nathan Green in a playoff. He’d been 22nd at halfway and eventually won at the second extra hole after Olazabal missed a four-foot par putt. Again, it set the tone for a huge season as he bagged eight wins, including another two Majors.
What Tiger said: “It was bunched, and quite frankly I shouldn’t have probably even been in the playoff. I wasn’t putting very good at all. And then the greens weren’t exactly smooth. But at least I could have had better speed than I did. My speed was terrible today. I hung in there, hung in there. It’s a nice place. I’ve played here since I was 12 and really enjoy playing here. I won the Junior World here when I was 15, came close when I was 16. But it’s been a great place. There’s not too many golf courses you play where it just fits your eye, but this is one of the golf courses for me. I feel very comfortable here.”
2007 Buick Invitational – 15-under
Woods was pretty unstoppable when winning his third straight Torrey Pines title in 2007. The victory represented a seventh straight win dating back to the previous summer’s Open Championship at Hoylake and was the first of seven victories in 2007. Rounds of 69-66 on the weekend lifted him from 12th and secured a two-shot success over Charles Howell III.
What Tiger said: “Well, overall, very lucky to be on top there. The way I was starting out, you know, 13 (under) was up on the board quick and I made a bomb there on 9 to get myself up there with a chance. It seemed like in order to win the tournament you had to make birdies on the back nine. I knew these guys, even though they have not won golf tournaments before, they still were going to be playing aggressively. They had nothing to lose and I figured I had to go get it. I played pretty aggressive on that back nine, for me, and just happened to come out on top.”
2008 Buick Invitational – 19-under
Woods wrapped up his fourth straight win and sixth overall at Torrey Pines in dominant fashion. He hit the front after a Friday 65 and romped to an eight-shot win after rounds of 66 and 71 on the weekend. This was his 62nd PGA Tour win which tied Arnold Palmer on the all-time list.
What Tiger said: “The whole idea today was to go out and shoot something under par and not make any bogeys, but I got half of that right. I guess the back nine, making a big putt at 11 and made a nice little birdie putt at 13, built me a nice little cushion, which was nice. It’s just one of those things where some people just have an affinity for certain golf courses, like my buddy (Mark) O’Meara won five times up at Pebble, I guess Sam (Snead) at Greensboro and (Jack) Nicklaus at Augusta, guys that have won a number of times at certain venues, and somehow this golf course seems to have been pretty good for me.”
2008 US Open – 1-under
A clearly injured Woods somehow stayed in the hunt and holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate.
Playing with a torn ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture in his left tibia, Tiger and Mediate couldn’t be split after 18 more holes on Monday but Woods eventually dug deeper than ever before to win at the first extra hole, his 91st of the week. It gave him a 14th Major title.
What Tiger said: “I’m glad I’m done. I’m done. I really don’t feel like playing any more. It’s a bit sore. And all I can say is the atmosphere is what kept me going. The tournament, being a Major Championship here at Torrey Pines, all the people, I couldn’t ever quit in front of these people. It wasn’t going to happen. I’ll take a little time off.” (Woods didn’t play again in 2008).
2013 Farmers Insurance Open – 14-under
Between the 2008 US Open and 2013 Farmers Insurance Open (the new sponsors), Woods played this event just once, finishing 44th in 2011.
But, fit again after numerous injuries, Woods grabbed the halfway lead and cruised to a four-shot win after leading by eight at one point. This was Tiger’s last dominant year on tour, his victory here one of five that helped him secure Player of the Year honours.
What Tiger said: “I’m excited the way I played all week. I hit the ball well. Pretty much did everything well this week, and built myself a nice little cushion. I had some mistakes at the end but all my good play before that really allowed me to afford those mistakes. It’s nice to actually walk around here without any discomfort.”
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