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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — It takes effort to locate a venue on the PGA Tour where Tiger Woods has underperformed. Across 82 victories, he has established ownership at so many courses — Torrey Pines, Bay Hill, Firestone, Augusta National — that it would seem oddly fitting if his record-breaking 83rd win were to come at Riviera Country Club, which has proven barren terrain for Woods since his debut as a 16-year-old in 1992.
The Woods of 28 years ago was all gawky teenage promise. The man playing host at this week’s Genesis Open, which benefits his eponymous foundation, is a poised legend and owner of 15 major championships. But not a single one of his many victories was authored at Riviera, where he has competed 12 times. There is no other event on the Tour schedule that he has played as often without at least one trophy hoist.
“I have historically never really putted well here,” Woods said Tuesday morning by way of explanation, before admitting that he’s been trash talked by another star who knows something about winning around Riviera. “Yesterday when I was out there with Bubba [Watson], he was giving me pretty good grief. He’s won here, what, three times, and I haven’t.”
A first win won’t get any easier either. With Woods as host, the Genesis Open now consistently draws the first strong field of the year. Nine of the world’s top 10 players are here. Tougher competition is a trade-off Woods welcomes in service of his bigger goal: raising money for his foundation.“Without the players’ support, the top players playing in the event, obviously we wouldn’t be able to fundraise, we wouldn’t be able to help as many kids as we are going forward,” he said. “To have those players come out and support this event is huge for us.”
Woods’ memories go back far beyond that teenage debut almost three decades ago to when he was a child spectator. “This was the second professional event I ever went to besides San Diego, coming up here and watching the guys play. It was the coolest thing,” he said. He told a story of once finding himself standing by Tom Watson’s errant ball as Watson’s legendary caddie, the late Bruce Edwards, arrived. “I’m basically one of the only ones over there and Bruce was on the bag and I’m standing looking at the golf ball. He comes over and says, ‘Move out of the way, kid,’ and pushes me out of the way,” Woods said with a laugh.
He says he told Edwards that story years later. “Well, you were in the way,” the bagman joked.
Woods was asked about the two biggest stories in golf right now: a proposed splinter tour called Premier Golf League, and the fractious distance debate. He pointed out that early in his career he beat Davis Love III in a playoff in which Love was using a persimmon driver. “To see the technology advance as fast as it has, the average distance was, from when I first came out on here, if you carry it 270, it took a lot of trouble out of play. Now guys are hitting their hybrids and 5-woods 270 in the air,” he said. “So the game has evolved and it’s changed. We’re running out of property to try and design golf courses that are from the back 7,800 to 8,000 yards, it’s difficult.”
Pushed on whether there ought to be different rules governing equipment for pros and recreational golfers, Woods demurred. “Part of the discussion going forward is do we bifurcate or not. It’s going to be probably even well after my career and playing days that we will figure that out,” the 44-year-old said.
Woods did acknowledge that his management team has been approached about Premier Golf League, the backers of which planned to make their latest pitch to players and agents Tuesday evening near Riviera. “We’ve delved into the details of it and trying to figure it out like everyone else,” he said, while pointing out that the reasoning behind the League is valid.
“You’re trying to get the top players to play more collectively. It’s one of the reasons why we instituted the World Golf Championships, because we were only getting together five times a year, the four majors and the Players,” he added. “We wanted to showcase the top players on more than just those occasions. And so this is a natural evolution, whether or not things like this are going to happen, but ideas like this are going to happen going forward, whether it’s now or any other time in the future.”
Whatever Woods’ competitive future looks like — what equipment he is playing with, what Tour he is playing on — is of considerably less importance to him this week than ending a long drought at a course that has loomed large in his storied career. “I’ve played in a number of events over the years and for me not to win an event that has meant so much to me in my hometown,” he admitted. “I’ve done well in San Diego, I’ve done well at Sherwood, just haven’t done well here. So hopefully I can put together this week and we’ll have a great conversation on Sunday.”
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