US TOUR NEWS:ROCCO MEDIATE returns to the scene of his epic 2008 US Open play-off tussle with Tiger Woods this week only too aware that Torrey Pines will be missing one vital ingredient this time around.
World number one Woods traditionally begins his season at the San Diego course but as he takes an indefinite break from golf, the USPGA Tour event in Southern California goes ahead as usual, albeit with a new sponsor and title: the Farmers Insurance Open.
Mediate and Woods missed the final Buick Invitational event played 12 months ago on Torrey Pines’ North and South courses as both recovered from knee surgeries.
Yet when Mediate returned on Monday to the scene of their duel, the echoes of that extra day in the sun and the sudden-death required at the end of an 18-hole play-off as Woods limped to a 91st-hole victory were not far from the surface.
“It’s good to be back. A lot of memories already,” Mediate said. “A little different here than a year and a half ago.”
The chief difference will be the absence of Woods, a six-time winner of the tournament before he made it a lucky seventh at Torrey Pines with his US Open success at Mediate’s expense.
“That’s really different,” Mediate (47) said. “I don’t know what to say about that. Any time he’s not in the field, it’s obviously not the best field we have.
“We have a great field this week. You always want your best guy, whether it’s any sport, doesn’t matter what it is. It always makes it what it’s supposed to be.”
The new sponsors do have some star power for their inaugural event as world number two Phil Mickelson makes his season debut having signed off on 2009 by collecting more than €1.7 million with back-to-back victories at the Tour Championship and WGC-HSBC Champions event.
Woods took a back seat to Mickelson at both tournaments, finishing second at East Lake in the Tour Championship and in a tie for sixth at the HSBC Champions, and Mediate believes the left-handed three-time major winner would rather have the world number one to shoot at than take advantage of his absence.
“If I was Phil, the way Phil is, he needs him in that field,” Mediate said. “I would think that’s what he would think. Not that Mediate believes Woods will be in any mood to be taken down when the 14-time major winner does decide to return to competition. “He’s still the number one guy; it’s not available. As long as he’s breathing, it’s not available.”
Meanwhile, world number 13 Kenny Perry, preparing for the Qatar Masters, has urged Woods to end his self-imposed exile from golf. “If he comes back to us I’m sure he’ll get a lot of support from the players, I really do.” Perry said.
San Deigo Masters
Course:Torrey Pines (South and North).
Length:South 7,569 yards, par 72; North 6,874 yards, par 72.
Prizemoney:€3.7 million, €679,628 for the winner
Field:156.
Layout:The South course, with small tricky Bentgrass greens, is a tough test especially when the wins blows. Both courses finish with par fives.
Defending champion:Nick Watney won by three shots.
On TV: On Sky Sports every day starting at 8pm today.
Weather:Cool and partly cloudy.
