Tiger Woods has conquered numerous courses throughout his storied career. Torrey’s Pines in San Diego, Bay Hill in Orlando, and Firestone in Ohio come to mind, but there is one iconic venue that has haunted Woods for over 30 years.
That would be Riviera Country Club, the site of this week’s Genesis Invitational.
Woods has never conquered the Riviera course, known as “Hogan’s Alley.” Interestingly, Jack Nicklaus didn’t win either, but many other legends did win on the Riviera, like Ben Hogan, who won his first U.S. Open in 1948. This was Hogan’s third win at Riviera in less than 18 months, hence the nickname.
Sadly, Woods’ best performance at Riviera came in 1999, when he finished two strokes behind Ernie Els in what was then called the Nissan Open.
Since then, he has played in this tournament 10 times, finishing fifth or worse.
But even after all these years, Woods revealed Wednesday why he’s struggled to conquer Hogan’s Alley.
“I’ve traditionally had poor putting here,” Woods said.
“[Riviera] It’s the joy of the fader. If you are right-handed, most holes proceed from left to right. I’ve been driving well here. There are small greens, and although my iron game has traditionally been pretty good throughout my career, I’ve never been hot with my putter on this course. In general, they are uneven pores, so it was a little tricky. ”
Since 2018, Woods has played in the Genesis Invitational four times. His best finish was a tie for 15th in 2019. But during these four of his events, Woods has lost a whopping 7.021 strokes on the green.
His worst performance came in 2020, when Woods finished in last place. That week, he lost more than eight strokes on field putts.
“It’s frustrating in the sense that this golf course was visually very pleasing to me,” Woods added.
“For some reason, I’ve never put it together in this event other than the one time I had a chance. It just hasn’t happened. I hope it does this week.”
If Woods wants to compete at this week’s Genesis Invitational, his putter needs to be on fire.
He needs plenty of bounce to get his way, including his body’s ability to withstand the elevation changes that the Riviera provides.
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Of course, after the Genesis Invitational three years ago, Woods was in a solo car accident that left him with multiple fractures in his leg. He also almost had to have his leg amputated.
“Do I feel it physically? Yeah, I do…every day,” Woods said of the accident.
“Unfortunately, that’s part of the surgery and rehabilitation. But I’m excited about this week and excited to compete and play.”
Woods underwent surgery last April where doctors fused his ankle. He also has his back fused.
“My ankles don’t hurt anymore because the bones aren’t rubbing against each other.” [against it] already. But again, it’s different,” Woods explained.
“Other parts of my body have to take the brunt of it. Just like my back is fused, other parts of my body have to take the brunt of it. Two different parts came together.”
Despite these injuries, the 15-time major champion is excited to compete again on the PGA Tour. He even believes he can win.
But he’ll need his putter to help him get his dream record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour win at Riviera.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
