As Tiger Woods readies for his first chance at PGA Tour victory No. 83 this week at the Farmers Insurance Open, it should be noted that eight of Woods’ 82 wins have come at Torrey Pines.
Woods is a seven-time winner of the Farmers (nee Buick Invitational) and also claimed the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey in, arguably, the most iconic performance of his career.
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? From 1998-2008, in 12 starts at Torrey Pines, Woods won seven times, with four top-5s and a worst finish of T-10. From 2005-08, Woods won five consecutive events at Torrey, taking four straight Buick Invitationals and the U.S. Open. In 2008, he won twice, taking both the Tour event and the major, a feat he similarly pulled off at Pebble Beach in 2000.
In 18 career starts at the Farmers, Woods has walked away with $6.9M in earnings, with winner’s checks ranging from $486,000 in 1999 to $1,098,000 in 2013. An additional $1.35M from the 2008 U.S. Open pushes Tiger’s total Torrey earnings to more than 8M.
With all that said, here is a look back at all eight Tiger victories at Torrey:
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 goes 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 round of 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 and still his most recent. It was a Monday finish that saw Woods lead by as much as eight with five holes to play before slow play and a sloppy finish saw the final margin trimmed to just four. This was Woods’ 75th PGA Tour victory and the beginning of his most recent Player of the Year campaign.