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The numbers are astonishing: Ten top-five finishes in 11 appearances; a 68.35 scoring average; 30 out of 43 rounds in the 60s; and only one round over par. Cypress native Tiger Woods was already the king of Torrey Pines before he won last year’s U.S. Open on one healthy leg. And while he may not be in this year’s Buick Invitational field, history indicates nobody else is close to taking over his throne.

1999: Slump-buster
Heading into 1999, Woods’ four-win 1997 campaign was fading in the rearview mirror. He had just one victory in 1998, and despite 13 top-10 finishes in 20 starts that season, many considered Woods to be in a slump. A 5-under-par total after the first two rounds of the ’99 Buick was only two clear of the cut line — but he shot 62-65 on the weekend to win his first title at Torrey Pines. Woods broke a tie with Billy Ray Brown on the 72nd hole by draining a 15-foot eagle putt. The 22-under-par total for four rounds tied the tournament record established by George Burns in 1987.

Key number: 62. The 10-under score Woods posted on the South Course may have come when the track lacked its current teeth, but it remains the course record.

Quotable: “I told you it was a matter of time,” Woods said after winning for the first time in nine months.

Big picture: This triumph was the first of eight PGA Tour victories for Woods in 1999, proving that swing tinkering with coach Butch Harmon was paying off.



2003: Rust-proof
In December 2002, Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and the ’03 Buick marked his first event back after the procedure. After surging into the lead with a third-round 68, Woods delivered more Sunday magic in front of playing partner Phil Mickelson. Facing a 203-yard approach from deep rough on the 477-yard, par-4 15th, Woods hammered a 4-iron under trees and over a greenside bunker to about 15 feet. He made the birdie and went on to a four-shot victory.

Key number: 27.25. The tournament-leading average number of putts Woods had per round.

Quotable: “He’s ranked No. 3 in the world, but he’s capable of shooting … any low number. You’ve got to respond to that and respond to that challenge. I felt like I did that today,” Woods on holding off Mickelson.

Big picture: A case can be made for this being the most momentous of his six Buick titles. Knee surgery raised some doubt about Woods’ return to form, and beating Mickelson by six shots was especially sweet considering Lefty had bagged Woods’ “inferior” Nike equipment heading into the event.



2005: Another drought bites the dust
After Woods won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February 2004, he left longtime instructor Butch Harmon for Hank Haney. As Woods progressed with a new swing, he didn’t win an official American event for the remainder of the year and entered the ’05 Buick with his longest drought between PGA Tour victories — almost 11 months. As Woods did in 1999, he ended the dry spell at Torrey Pines with a three-shot victory over Charles Howell III and Luke Donald. Fog delays on Saturday forced Woods to play 31 holes on Sunday.

Key number: 88 percent. One reason why Woods has been successful at Torrey Pines is his ability to get up and down. He struggled with scrambling through his first 54 holes, getting up and down slightly more than half the time (8 for 15), but in the final round he converted 7 out of 8 putts when he missed the green.

Quotable: “I wasn’t hitting it all that great, but I was just trying to survive with my short game,” Woods said. “I felt my short game carried me.”

Big picture: After more swing changes, Woods found his footing again at Torrey Pines. He won four more tournaments that year, including the Masters and British Open.



2006: Squeaking by
When the dust settled, Woods had his record fourth Buick Invitational title after beating Jose Maria Olazabal and Nathan Green in extra holes. A 1-under 71 on the North Course in the first round gave Woods an uphill climb, which he undertook with rounds of 68 and 67 on the South Course to place himself in Sunday’s final group. Green was eliminated after the first playoff hole, and Olazabal missed a short par putt on the second extra hole to give Woods the crown.

Key number: 12. That’s the number of bogeys Woods made over 72 holes, matching his highest number in any career victory to that point.

Quotable: “Quite frankly, I shouldn’t have probably even been in the playoff,” Woods said. “I hung in there.”

Big picture: Woods’ fourth Buick title sparked his third season of at least eight PGA Tour victories. It was a near-mirror image of 2005 that included a victory at Torrey Pines, two major titles and a pair of World Golf Championship victories.



2007: The streaks continue
Woods entered the ’07 Buick with victories in six consecutive PGA Tour starts and having won two in a row at Torrey Pines. He left San Diego with both streaks intact. His seventh official victory in a row broke his best of six and put him past the six consecutive titles Ben Hogan compiled in 1948. He fell short of Byron Nelson’s 1945 mark of 11 in a row, but Woods had people contemplating that thought-to-be untouchable streak.

Key number: 67.87. With a 66 in the final round, Woods improved his final-round scoring average on the South Course to 67.87 through 10 appearances. He had a 65 in 1999 before Rees Jones lengthened the course for the U.S. Open.

Quotable: “As far as how special seven is, you’re in elite company. There’s only one person that’s ahead of you. To be in company like that … it’s pretty special,” Woods said of his winning streak.

Big picture: The victory punctuated a period that deserves serious consideration for all-time greatness. Woods won two events between the ’07 Buick and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August, but from that point on he started another amazing run.



2008: In the King’s company
It wasn’t public knowledge, but Woods entered the season with a torn ACL he sustained after the 2007 British Open. The injury didn’t seem to bother Woods when he won the Buick for the sixth time with rounds of 67-65-66-71. He didn’t overpower Torrey Pines like in previous years, but he positioned himself for desirable approaches and performed a clinic on the greens. His putt on the par-3 11th on Sunday — which he estimated had about 15 feet of break — ranks as one of the most memorable bombs of his career.

Key number: 62. Woods achieved that PGA Tour victory total at Torrey Pines, which tied him with Arnold Palmer for fourth on the all-time list. Woods did it at 32; Palmer was 44.

Quotable: “You’re never there. I’m starting to get better. I’m hitting shots that I never could hit before, even in 2000. I’m actually hitting the ball better now than I did during that stretch,” Woods said when asked to compare his level of play to 2000, when he won three majors.

Big picture: It was easy to view the January performance as a precursor to what was ahead at June’s U.S. Open. Though the greens were slicker later in the year, Woods proved his incredible knowledge of the South’s putting surfaces with his playoff victory over Rocco Mediate. His short-game skills were needed because his long game was impeded by stress fractures and a torn ACL in his left leg.


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