The old saying is that there are Horses For Courses and Tiger Woods has been a thoroughbred at a bunch of them over his illustrious career — but one course, one very prestigious course — has pitch a shutout at him — Riviera Country Club — host of this week’s Genesis Invitational.
No Riviera has never been a Happy Hunting Ground for Woods.
He first played there at the 1992 L.A. Open as a 16-year-old. He shot 72-75 and missed the cut. He came back in 1993 and shot 74-78, again missing the 36-hole cut.
He was back in 1997 at a professional and tied for 20th. The following year (1998) he was solo second and that’s the best he’d ever do at this track. He came close again in 1999, finishing tied for second.
Even in his prime years, he couldn’t pull this one off:
2000: T18
2001: T13
2003: T5
2004: T7
2005: T13
2006: WD
2018: MC
2019: T15
2020: 68th
So it stands to reason that expectations for Woods this week should be pretty, well, pretty low.
He’s battling a bum, surgically repaired right leg and plantar fasciitis in that foot.
It’s seems like a pipe-dream that he’d make the cut this week. He hasn’t been in a real event since the 150th Open Championship last July where he shot nine-over par and didn’t come close to making the cut.
Pay close attention to those 1992 and 1993 scores. They will tell if Tiger can outperform his 16 and 17-year-old self this week.
Ockie Strydom Wins Singapore Classic:
The final round of the Singapore Classic came down to a two-man battle between Ockie Strydom of South African and Finland’s Sami Valimaki.
But it was Strydom who birdied the 16th then chipped in for birdie at the 72nd hole for a sizzling 63, and a 19-under par total that edged Valimaki by a shot.
Nine birdies by Valimaki earned him his second DP World Tour victory.
Valimaki shot a five-under par 30 on the front nine but cooled off over the final nine holes — two birdies and a bogey left him a shot short of Strydom.
