Tiger Woods’ History at Riviera Isn’t as Bad as His Record There Looks
Tiger Woods has long had a special relationship with Riviera Country Club, where the 15-time major champion will make his first official PGA Tour start in more than 10 months on February 15.
But Woods is 0-14 in his career at Riviera, the only Tour course he’s played at least four times without conquering, according to Golf.com, and a “riddle Woods can’t seem to solve,” according to Golf Digest.
Still, Woods’ history at Riviera isn’t as bad as his winless streak there makes it look.
In his 14 career starts at Riviera, Woods has missed the weekend only four times. And the first two instances don’t even really count, as those were the two times he played the tournament as an amateur, in 1992 and 1993.
In 2006, Woods made the 36-hole cut, shooting 69-74 over the first two days but withdrew due to a bout with the flu. The only other time Tiger failed to play the weekend was in 2018, when he’d played only twice in the previous 12 months due to the back troubles that cost him several years of his career.
So, taking those four starts out of play and focusing on the other 10 as a professional, the only two times he’s failed to crack the top 20 were in 2020 and 2023. And he had eight top-25s and a trio of finishes of seventh or better, including the runner-up in 1999.
In his prime, Tiger was expected to win every single time he teed it. So it was a bit surprising when he didn’t, especially on a course with which he was so familiar.
“The disconnect is one that not only Woods can’t explain, but neither can his fellow tour pros,” Golf Digest’s Even Priest wrote in 2023, quoting Max Homa, “a self-confessed Woods superfan” who won at Riviera in 2021.
“It makes absolutely no sense,” Homa said, according to Priest. “It’s a second-shot golf course, and he’s the greatest iron player of all time. It truly makes no sense.”
Woods has pinned some of the blame on his short game.
“I have historically never really putted well here,” Woods said in 2020, according to The Los Angeles Times. “It suits a natural cutter of the golf ball, so I figured that’s what I have done pretty much my entire career. … But for some reason, everything kind of breaks toward six, and I still haven’t quite figured that out.”
What’s wild is that Woods’ idol, Jack Nicklaus, who won 18 majors and 73 PGA Tour events during his illustrious career, never visited the winner’s circle at Riviera either.
As a child, Eldrick attended what was then known as the Los Angeles Open with his father, Earl. At 16, the amateur phenom made his first-ever start on the PGA Tour at Riviera, firing respectable rounds of 72 and 75 but failing to make the cut.
And since 2017, Woods has served as the host of the annual Genesis Invitational because his TGR Foundation is the primary charitable beneficiary.
So, this course clearly means something to Tiger.
He will take his 15th crack at Riviera this week at the 2024 edition of the Genesis Invitational, making his first official start since withdrawing from The Masters last April due to plantar fasciitis, for which he underwent surgery two weeks later.
Woods returned to action in early December at the Hero World Challenge, where he also served as the host, and finished 18th in the 20-player field.
Two weeks later, he teed it up with his son Charlie in the team-oriented PNC Championship, where the duo tied for fifth.
Woods will begin his week on Thursday, February 15, at 12:25 p.m. Eastern/9:25 a.m. alongside good friend Justin Thomas and 2019 U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland. The trio will play their second round at 2:54 p.m. Eastern/11:54 a.m. Pacific on Friday, February 16.
A win, however improbable, would be Tiger’s 83rd and would break a tie between him and Sam Snead for the most in PGA Tour history. And wouldn’t it be so sweet if that historic victory came at Riviera?
