Tiger at Torrey: Looking back on Woods’ 8 wins

Tiger Woods is returning to the PGA Tour and doing so on a familiar and friendly venue.

Woods is scheduled to compete in the Genesis Invitational, Feb. 13-16. The $20-million signature event will be contested at Torrey Pines’ South Course rather than its traditional host site, Riviera Country Club, after the PGA Tour opted for the move in the wake of L.A.-area wildfires.

Woods has won eight times on the South Course, which has long hosted the Farmers Insurance Open (previously the Buick Invitational). One of those titles also came in the 2008 U.S. Open.

Torrey Pines is one of three venues, along with Bay Hill and Firestone, on which Woods has won eight times on Tour.

Just how dominant has he been at Torrey? Woods finished inside the top 5 on every occasion — including two wins — from 1998-2003. After a T-10 in 2004, he won four straight times, from 2005-08.

Of course, that success came during Woods’ heyday. Aside from his victory in 2013, he has some middling results in his last eight starts at Torrey Pines (most recently a T-9 in 2020).

While he won’t be among the favorites this time around, he’ll forever be the most dominant player to ever step foot on the South Course. Here’s a win-by-win lookback on those triumphs:

1999 Buick Invitational

A 23-year-old Woods started the weekend nine shots back and flew up the leaderboard with a third-round 62, which remains the South Course record. Tied for the lead with Billy Ray Brown through 71 holes, Woods eagled the par-5 18th to cap off a final-round 65 and win by two at 22 under for the week. The victory was Woods’ eighth on Tour and his first of eight that year.

2003 Buick Invitational

Coming off surgery to remove fluid from his left knee, Woods won in his first start back, taking a one-shot 54-hole lead and running away from Phil Mickelson, Brad Faxon and Carl Pettersen in a four-shot triumph. Woods went 68-68 over the weekend for Tour victory No. 35, his first of five that year.

2005 Buick Invitational

The first of four straight Buick Invitationals and five in a row at Torrey. Tied with Tom Lehman with two to play, Tiger finished par-birdie to Lehman’s bogey-bogey to win by three over Lehman, Luke Donald and Charles Howell III. This was Woods’ 41st PGA Tour win, his first stroke-play victory in 16 months, his first title with new swing coach Hank Haney, and his first of six wins that year, including two majors.

2006 Buick Invitational

Woods won in a three-way playoff over Nathan Green and Jose Maria Olazabal. All three players birdied the par-5 18th in regulation to finish 10 under par, and Woods was the last man standing after a par on the second extra hole. It was PGA Tour title No. 47 for Woods, who went on to win eight times that year, including two more majors.

2007 Buick Invitational

Woods tied for the lead on Sunday with an eagle at the par-5 ninth to make the turn in 4-under 32. He made two more birdies coming in for a bogey-free 66 and a win by two over Howell. This was PGA Tour title No. 55, Woods’ seventh consecutive victory, dating back to The Open Championship at Hoylake the previous summer, and the opener to a seven-win season.

2008 Buick Invitational

Woods set a tournament record for margin of victory in an eight-shot romp. With his 62nd PGA Tour win, he tied Arnold Palmer on the all-time list. He also tied a PGA Tour record for consecutive wins at a single event, with four. (Woods had also won four straight at Bay Hill from 2000-03.) Of course, this was just his first win at Torrey Pines in ’08 …

2008 U.S. Open

Expect anything different? Woods, playing on a broken leg with a torn ACL, birdied the 72nd-hole to force an 18-hole Monday playoff with Rocco Mediate. Three up through 10 on Monday, Woods needed another birdie at the 18th to extend the playoff to sudden-death. On the first extra hole, his 91st of the week, Woods finally put away his third U.S. Open and his 14th major.

2013 Farmers Insurance Open

Woods’ first win at Torrey in five years was a Monday finish that saw him lead by as much as eight with five holes to play before slow play and a sloppy finish trimmed the winning margin to four. This was Woods’ 75th PGA Tour victory and the beginning of his most recent Player of the Year campaign.