Tiger Woods and His Bad Omen at Riviera

It was 1999. Tiger Woods was just fresh off a win from the Buick Invitational with a remarkable 22-under 266 and was on top of his game at the Los Angeles Open. However, a dropped shot on the final par-4 denied him a playoff chance and, as a result, forced him to be content with the runner-up position. Unfortunate? Yes. But little did he know that the T2 finish would be the closest he would get to a win at the Riviera Country Club.

Come 2024. Mr. T has achieved a record-breaking career with 110 professional wins, including 82 victories on the PGA Tour. Even then, a triumph at the California Club seems as elusive as catching a ghost for the golfer, seeing as to how he was forced to withdraw from the recent event as well.

Does Lady Misfortune await Tiger Woods at Riviera?

“I have traditionally not putted well here,” said the 48-year-old Woods ahead of the 2024 Genesis Invitational as he recounted his years of bad luck at the course. “I’ve driven it well here… my iron game has been pretty good,” added the athlete before pointing out, “but I have never really gotten hot with the putter at this course.” It seems lady luck has turned her eyes away from the professional at his hometown event.

His first appearance at the grounds came in 1992 when he made his debut on the men’s circuit as a 16-year-old amateur. The result? A missed cut stemmed from a six-stroke deficit at 72-75. Following this, the golfing legend has played at the course a total of 14 times over his career, excluding his debut. However, he has only carded a total of three top-10 finishes along with eight top-25 placements, the former of which came in the years 1999, 2003, and 2004 at T2, T5, and T7, respectively.

That’s the best he was able to dish out. What about the other side of the coin? Yes, we’re talking about his worst finishes. Well, the 1997 Masters champ has gone ahead and missed the cut a total of three times in his 15 starts, including his debut in 1992, 1993, and 2018, a year after he became the tournament’s host. His final performance before 2023 came in 2020, where he shot an 11 over par 295 to finish last among those who made the cut.

Besides, he has also withdrawn from the event two times, in 2006 and the recent one, both due to the flu. But even so, the worst of his finishes is still held in contrast with the closest he got to a win on the same course.

The worst and best finishes of Woods at Riviera

The two WDs and the missed cuts, along with his T68 finish, highlight one of the most ill-fated relationships the 82-time PGA Tour champ has with a course. The 1993 MC came as a result of the then-17-year-old athlete shooting a 74-78-152, seven strokes outside of the required cutline. His first appearance at the course as a professional in 1997 didn’t card him a win either, with a 3-under 281 leading to a T-20 finish.

Now, come 1999. The year when Lady Luck almost met him. A bogey-free third round of 65 left Woods close to victory, just behind Ted Tryba by two strokes. However, he couldn’t capitalize on the same, missing several birdies throughout the fourth day, including the final par-4 18th. This mistake caused him to miss a chance to tie Ernie Els, who would go ahead and win the event, for a playoff. At the end of the LA Open, the future 15-time major champ finished at T2, tied with Davis Love III and Tryba at 12-under par.

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Well, the rest is just average for the golfer. Aside from the top-10 finishes, withdrawals, and missed cuts, he placed T18 in 2000, T13 in 2001, T13 in 2005, T15 in 2019, T45 in 2023, and T68 in 2020, his worst finish despite making the cut. Regardless of the elusive victory at Riviera, many of his fans would be awaiting another victory from the Hall of Famer, so that he can break Sam Snead’s record of PGA Tour victories, which he is currently tied to. Will he be able to do it? That, of course, is a question we would all love the answer to!

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