| Details |
| When |
Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 10-13 |
| Courses |
Torrey Pines Golf Club (South and North courses) |
| Where |
La Jolla, Calif. |
| 1999 champion |
Tiger Woods |
| Purse |
$3 million (Winner: $540,000) |
| Yardage/Par |
7,000 yards, par 72 (South)
6,854 yards, par 72 (North) |
| Tournament record |
266, 22-under (George Burns, 1987; Tiger Woods, 1999) |
| Television |
Thursday-Friday: 4-6 p.m. (USA)
Saturday-Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS) |
| |
Hole by hole
South course |
| |
Hole |
Par |
Yards |
| |
1 |
4 |
447 |
| |
2 |
4 |
365 |
| |
3 |
3 |
173 |
| |
4 |
4 |
453 |
| |
5 |
4 |
404 |
| |
6 |
5 |
535 |
| |
7 |
4 |
453 |
| |
8 |
3 |
171 |
| |
9 |
5 |
536 |
| |
Out |
36 |
3537 |
| |
10 |
4 |
373 |
| |
11 |
3 |
207 |
| |
12 |
4 |
468 |
| |
13 |
5 |
535 |
| |
14 |
4 |
398 |
| |
15 |
4 |
356 |
| |
16 |
3 |
203 |
| |
17 |
4 |
425 |
| |
18 |
5 |
498 |
| |
In |
36 |
3463 |
| |
Total |
72 |
7000 |
| |
Key holes:
The closing holes at Torrey Pines usually decide the tournament, including the difficult par-3 16th and the relatively easy par-5 18th. Both feature small greens which can be hard to hit. But No. 16 is essential to find the green to get away with a par, while No. 18 is reachable in two for virtually every player. The longer hitters will be hitting mid-irons to the green. |
Tiger Woods has won in all conditions during his six-tournament streak, so as he arrives at Torrey Pines as the defending champion of the Buick Invitational, this would seem to be a good opportunity for the streak to continue.
Of course, nothing is easy on the PGA Tour; Woods is just making it look that way.
It's quite a different picture for Woods this year compared to 1999. When he arrived here last year, he had just one victory in his last 18 months. Now he arrives with nine victories since he last played this event. He has moved to second on the all-time earnings list, is third in wins among active players and has elevated every aspect of his game.
Always long off the tee and a good putter, Woods is now No. 1 on the tour in greens in regulation. And as long as that continues, he will be tough to beat on any course.
But he will have plenty of challengers this week. Although David Duval, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els are not in the field, former champions Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara are on hand. So are 152 other players capable of putting together four good rounds.
The tournament uses both courses at Torrey Pines, with players alternating between the South and North courses on Thursday and Friday. The South course is then used for both weekend rounds. It features some spectacular views along the ocean and some tricky greens, with everything breaking toward the water.
Torrey Pines is part of the West Coast swing, which is nearing its conclusion. Next week, the tour heads north a couple of hours to Riviera Country Club and the Nissan Open. Then it's back down the coast again for the World Match Play Championship. Players who fail to make that elite field will take part that same week in the Tucson Open, concluding the West Coast swing.
Notah Begay III: A two-time winner during his rookie season, Begay is coming off a strong week at Pebble Beach where he tied for fourth.
Fred Couples: Playing just his third event of the season, Couples is in a stretch of California golf which suits his game just fine. Couples is one player who can put pressure on Woods, and he'll be playing with him the first two rounds.
Bill Glasson: Glasson needs to play well this week to qualify for the World Match Play in two weeks. He finished third last year with two rounds of 68 and two rounds of 67.
Matt Gogel: The rookie has come close twice this season, including a runnerup finish last week at Pebble Beach. Nerves got him down the stretch as Tiger's remarkable charge caught him. He also played in the final group at the Bob Hope.
Skip Kendall: His 2000 season has been inconsistent so far, with a pair of missed cuts in four events. He was 31st at Pebble Beach and arrives at a tournament he should have won two years ago, three-putting in a playoff to lose to Scott Simpson.
Davis Love III: Love has been flirting with playing really well the last three weeks, finishing 28th, 18th and 20th. He is a former champion of this event, shooting 19-under in 1996 to win.
Phil Mickelson: The San Diego native grew up on these courses and should feel right at home. He won in 1993 and has had plenty of success in this event. It's been two years since his last win, however.
Steve Pate: Pate has struggled out of the gate this year, missing the cut at both the Bob Hope and Phoenix events. And as a West Coast guy, this is where he usually plays his best. Pate is a two-time champion of this event.
Loren Roberts: Torrey Pines is the perfect course for Roberts, who doesn't suffer as much with his lack of distance. The boss of the moss also knows how to putt along ocean courses. He was seventh here last year.
Craig Stadler: Like Mickelson, Stadler is a San Diego native who knows these courses well. He won here in 1994 and is coming off a solid performance at Pebble Beach, where he tied for 15th.
Kevin Sutherland: Sutherland is still looking for his first win, but he's come close here each of the last two years. He lipped out a putt on the final hole in 1998 to miss getting in a playoff, and he tied for fourth last year.
Tiger Woods: The best player in the world on the best roll of his career. The defending champion, Woods will be bombarded with even more attention this week. He dominates these courses with his length.
