Tiger likes Riviera but it doesn't seem to like him

PHOTO: AP

Riviera Country Club is one of Tiger Woods' favorite stops on the PGA Tour.

It's hard to tell by looking at his record.

Woods won all four majors, The Players Championship and Tour Championship, all the World Golf Championships, and tournaments run by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson.

The Nissan Open might be the most important trophy he hasn't owned. It is played about 65km from where he grew up and was the first PGA Tour event he watched.

And the only place Woods has played at least five times without winning.

"It's one my favorites by far," Woods said. "I've had my chances there to win, and I just haven't been able to do it. Who knows? This could be the week."

Woods has come close a couple of times.

He tied for second, two shots behind Ernie Els in 1999.

The year before, Woods had his only playoff loss on the PGA Tour when Billy Mayfair beat him on the first extra hole. But that doesn't really count, because the Nissan Open was played at Valencia Country Club that year.

"It's one my favorites by far. I've had my chances there to win, and I just haven't been able to do it"

Tiger Woods, world'stop-ranked golfer

Woods another crack this week at Riviera against a field that includes defending champion Mike Weir, Vijay Singh and John Daly, fresh off his first PGA Tour victory in nine years.

"It's one of the best-designed golf courses that we play all year," Woods said. "It's hard, but it's fair. It's right there in front of you, no hidden surprises."

While Woods grew up in Cypress, he didn't exactly hop over to Riviera on the weekends. The club is private and exclusive, and Woods can recall playing there only about a dozen times as a teenager.

He said he was 11 or 12 when he played there the first time, but he doesn't remember his score.

"I did break 90," he said.

Woods his PGA Tour debut at Riviera in 1992 at age 16 when the Nissan Open gave him a sponsor's exemption. He had rounds of 72-75 and missed the cut by six shots.

A year later, he shot 74-78 and missed the cut by seven shots.

famous losers

Some of golf's greatest players have one trophy missing from the mantle.

Palmer won the PGA Championship in 37 tries. Tom Watson was 0-for-31 in the PGA, while Sam Snead played the US Open 31 times without winning.

Those, however, are majors, the most difficult to win.

Among regular PGA Tour events, Woods hopes he's not heading down the same path as Nicklaus in the Canadian Open. Nicklaus played it 25 times without winning, although he was a runner-up five times. Even more frustrating was that 15 of those tournaments were played at Glen Abbey, a course Nicklaus designed.

Woods have any trouble recognizing Riviera, although there have been some changes.

The most noticeable this year is the fabled 18th, an uphill tee shot with the clubhouse sitting high on a hill. Charles Howell III reached the 451-yard hole last year with a sand wedge, when conditions were dry.

Still, club officials lowered the tee box 4 1/2 feet and moved it 24 yards back, making it even longer and an uphill climb like never before.

"It was hard enough as it was," Woods said. "The tee shot is difficult, but the second shot is unbelievably difficult. If they ever get any kind of Santa Ana wind blowing, it's going to be tough."

Just what Woods needs.

Only of his 20 rounds at par-71 Riviera were in the 60s. He has only two top 10s, including a tie for fifth last year when he closed with a 65 but was never in contention.

Even at his best, Woods was no match for Riviera.

speed bump

Woods had one stretch four years ago when he won or finished second in 10 out of 11 tournaments. The exception, of course, was Riviera. He tied for 18th.

Riviera one of the most famous courses on the PGA Tour, dropped among hillside estates off Sunset Boulevard.

Ben Hogan won there four times, twice in one year. He won the Los Angeles Open in 1948, and returned that summer to capture his first US Open.

Few courses require players to shape the ball off the tee. Few other courses have a bunker in the middle of the green (No. 6). The small greens and subtle contours are one reason scoring records don't come easily at Riviera.

"You don't have to have pot bunkers that are two stories deep off the tees," Woods said. "If the greens are small and hard, you'll have a tough time getting it close."

That's one reason the 72-hole scoring record at Riviera -- 20-under 264 by Lanny Wadkins -- has stood for the last 18 years, a rarity these days.

Even rarer is a course Woods can't seem to master.