THE relationship between Tiger Woods and Riviera Country Club, the host venue for this week’s Genesis Invitational and scene of his first appearance on the PGA Tour since last April’s Masters, is very far from being a straightforward one.

First things first, the course matters to the 48-year-old. It is where he first teed it up in a professional event, he’s the tournament host and it is a test he absolutely reveres but it is also – and this is where it gets intriguing – one he has never cracked.

That debut came way back in 1992 and Woods has fond memories of the experience. “Oh wow,” he said a few years ago. “Not having to use a token on the range and having brand new balata balls with no stripes on them to hit? I wanted to fill my bag with them. I was used to looking for lost balls in creeks.”

Conventional wisdom has it that sporting greats find the transition to elite level competition effortless and there’s no doubt that Woods is both a great and was born with an extravagant skill set. But an often ignored factor that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary is the capacity to be fuelled, rather than intimidated, by the need to improve.

“The golf they were playing,” Woods added of his recollections of that debut. “It was a big jump, just an enormous chasm and very eye-opening. I shot 72-75, missed the cut and I was 17 shots back of the halfway leader Davis (Love III). I realised then, ‘Ah, yes, there is a disparity, there’s a gap, I need to get better.’ I now knew I had to go and dig it out of the dirt.”

There’s a parallel between this experience and his first venture onto the linksland of Carnoustie. Although initially blown away and befuddled by the original form of the game, he was also captivated by the challenge. He fell in love with it.

When Woods returned to Riviera for a third time in 1997, as a professional, he finished T20th. It was the first of seven consecutive top 20 finishes on the course but he has never won there. In fact, in his 14 starts he has only once been inside the top 10 after 18 holes, only twice been within four shots of the 54-hole lead and has just two top five finishes with a best of second way back in 1999.

Which is not to say that Woods does not like the place. “There’s no secret to this golf course,” he said. “It’s right in front of you, but it’s hard. You have to hit the golf ball well. That’s why there have been so many great champions here.”

But not Woods and not the other contender for the greatest of all-time, Jack Nicklaus, who also failed to solve this Pacific Palisades puzzle. A slightly mystified Woods has even added: “It suits a natural cutter of the golf ball and that’s what I have done pretty much my entire career.” Nicklaus, too.

“Bubba (Watson) has won here three times,” Woods admitted. “He gives me grief about it. But I have never putted well here. I’ve still not figured out that everything breaks towards the sea.”

What can we expect from Woods this week? He will have high hopes but we must be realistic. If he struggled here with a strong body, just completing 72 holes with a patched up one will be just fine. We hit the woodwork with last week’s pick of Sahith Theegala who landed the place money for us. Here are three to keep an eye on in LA.

EACH WAY – TONY FINAU AT 25/1

The big man had early difficulties at Riv but turned that around in 2018 when he spent all week on the first page of the leaderboard ahead of finishing second. He’s never missed a cut since and in 2021 he was only denied by Max Homa in extra holes. Winners on this track tend to have a fine record elsewhere in California on Poa Annua grass greens and Finau has a second at Silverado and a second at Torrey Pines (among many fine performances there including sixth last month).

EACH WAY – SAM BURNS AT 22/1

Back in early 2021 Burns was dropping big hints that he was about to become a PGA Tour winner and one of them came at Riviera when he led through 18, 36 and 54 holes before he fell one blow short of joining Finau and Homa in extra holes. The win eventually came a few weeks later, he now has five of them and he’s simmering again. He arrives off the back of three top 10s, he held the halfway lead in the first of them and closed last week with a 64 for third place.

EACH WAY – WYNDHAM CLARK AT 40/1

There has to be a concern that Clark cannot continue to ride the a glorious Californian wave. Because the last time he was in LA he won the US Open (last June) and the last time he was in the state he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (last month). But the flipside? That’s great form, the latter win came stress-free (the final round was cancelled) and he has nice course form too. On debut in 2020 he was second through 36 holes when T17th and he was eighth in 2021.

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