La Jolla Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, No. 1 and No. 2 in the world and partnered for at least the first two rounds of 108th U.S. Open, have won so many get-togethers at Torrey Pines they could . . . play this week blindfolded from the back tees?
Actually, if they did that, both might be picking bogeys out of the bluff.
Woods has won six Buick Invitationals, including the last four. He also won here as a 15-year-old, at the Junior World Championships, wearing a yellow T-shirt with a giant tiger's head stenciled on the front.
Mickelson, raised locally and almost as famous as the zoo, has won three Buick events.
But this isn't quite the same Torrey. It's more pain now than pine.
What makes this year's U.S. Open different from this year's Buick is slicker greens, yes, but even slicker moves by the U.S. Golf Assn.
Interestingly for Woods and Mickelson, who know every Torrey nook and cranny, there is a fear of the unknown.
The USGA has traded its masochistic tendencies -- remember the baked greens at Shinnecock Hills in 2004? -- for a bit of sleight-of-hand chicanery.
The USGA is not telling the players which South Course they'll be playing. It could be the record 7,643 yards everyone's talking about or, it could be shorter.
The great unknown lies with alternate tee-box locations on critical holes, particularly at No. 3, No. 13 and No. 14.
The new launching area at the par-five 13th stretches to 614 yards and bears little resemblance to anything Woods and Mickelson have seen.
"Well, we're almost on Black's Beach," Woods joked Tuesday of a tee-box location that has been backed toward the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. "So, I don't know, maybe we can hit up and over the cliff to get to the fairway. It's unbelievable how far back that is. That usually is where they start their hang gliding over there."
Players probably will play No. 13 at 614 yards only once, on the weekend, but that didn't stop Mickelson from ripping the setup.
"That new tee box is terrible," Mickelson said. "It's the biggest waste of money that I've ever seen. But it doesn't matter what I think, we're going to end up playing it and I've got to be ready for it. But it's terrible."
For years, Woods has had all the answers at Torrey Pines.
Tuesday, he had questions.
"How many days are they going to play it up on 13?" Woods asked. "How many days are they going to play it up on 14? Same on three. We just don't know."
