Tiger takes up the challenge at Buick Invitational

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2004 Buick Invitational | Preview | 10 Feb 2004

As was the case at this event last year, the Buick Invitational signals the return of Tiger Woods to the USPGA Tour, but this time it is not after an extended break to recover from surgery, but rather a return from five weeks scheduled rest from competitive golf.

Last year Woods returned triumphantly when he won the Buick for the second time by heading off Carl Petterson by four, but this year things might not be quite so straight forward. He faces a field that includes the current hottest player in the game, Vijay Singh and a man who may also test him in Phil Mickelson, who has won this event three times previously. Both Singh and Mickelson have made fine starts to the year while Woods’ only start has been his fourth placing at the season opening Mercedes Championship.

Singh has played the Buick Invitational very little in recent years, his only appearance yielding an 11th place in 2002.

Also in the mix here is Sergio Garcia who seems close to where he was a couple of years ago after spending time remodelling his swing in 2003 and he now has it looking as good as it has ever been. While many would have questioned just what he was doing tinkering with a golf swing that had brought him so much initial success, he may well have the last laugh.

Woods and Mickelson have dominated this event in recent years although Jose Maria Olazabal surprised somewhat in 2002 when he defied the odds winning on a golf course (South Course) that boasts a length of 7607 yards.

The tournament is played over the North and South Courses at Torrey Pines, both courses originally designed by William Bell in the fifties although the South Course was extensively remodelled by Rees Jones in 2001. That course now measures an incredible 7,650 yards and is to be the venue for the 2008 US Open. It is the South Course that will host the event with three of the four rounds to be played there.

Australians teeing it up this week include Stuart Appleby, back from the Heineken Classic, Robert Allenby, Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley, Scott Hend, Mark Hensby, Andre Stolz and Rod Pampling who lost his way early in last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am event before finding his swing again, albeit too late. Pampling may well figure amongst the leading Australians again this week. New Zealanders Craig Perks and Grant Waite are also in the field.