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 The South Course at Torrey Pines certainly could be dubbed "Tiger's Alley," but the world's No. 1 player is so dominant there that saying the course is right up his alley is an understatement. When Woods drained that improbable 60-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole in the final round of the Buick Invitational last month, you got the feeling the South's blueprint - both with and without the Rees Jones redesign - is part of his DNA. "This course has been really kind to me. Ever since junior golf all the way through my professional ranks, I've somehow really seemed to have played well here," said a smiling Woods after his tournament record eight-shot victory. "It's just one of those things where some people just have an affinity for certain golf courses." Besides garnering the prestige of matching Arnold Palmer's 62 career victories, the Cypress native put together one of his most surgical efforts to date in winning for the fourth straight time in La Jolla. There may not have been a stocked highlight reel of fist-pump moments, though there was only one three-putt for the week on Torrey's bumpy poa annua greens and just one bogey through the first 54 holes. "When he does come close to making a bogey, he makes a 20-footer for par," said Stewart Cink, who finished in a tie for third place at 9-under par, 10 strokes behind Woods. "It's easy to get demoralized." No matter how tough the United States Golf Association sets up the South Course for June's U.S. Open, Woods will know its nooks and crannies as well as or better than anyone else in the field. Other competitors may have played more rounds there, but when it comes to mastering Torrey Pines, Woods has set a benchmark that will probably never be broken. It seems fitting that such a golf history aficionado is poised to overtake Hogan's win total in a year when our national championship returns to Southern California. The last time that event came around here was 1948, when Hogan won the Los Angeles Open at Riviera before going back there a few months later to tack on a U.S. Open title - thus the origin of "Hogan's Alley." Such a feat would be nothing new for Woods, who won both the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the U.S. Open on the same track in 2000. But given his decorated history at Torrey Pines, you've got to think Woods wants to duplicate that performance more than anything in '08. He ended his trophy presentation at the Buick with this pithy remark: "Hopefully, I'll be standing here in June as well." How funny does that sound to his playing competitors? The rest of the West Coast swing One of the biggest surprises at the Buick Invitational was Fred Couples. Despite continuing to struggle with back problems, the La Quinta resident did not post an over-par round for the week and ended in a tie for eighth at 5-under par. Justin Leonard came away from the Buick and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic with a pair of top-five finishes, but his second-place result in the desert was disappointing considering he began the final round with a four-shot lead. D.J. Trahan shot a 7-under 65 in the final round for his second career win. Finishing one stroke behind Leonard at the Hope was former La Quinta High standout Anthony Kim. The 22-year-old tour sophomore fired five sub-70 rounds, attributing some success to new caddie Scott Gneiser. "It's been working out great so far," Kim said of the partnership. "I've got a good caddie on the bag." |
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