Tiger Woods

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain said that if he played well, he could beat Tiger Woods in the opening round of the Accenture Match Play Championships. Ultimately, though neither golfer played well, Woods managed to eke out a 1-up victory by getting up and down from the sand on the 18th hole. For a while, it appeared that Fernandez-Castano could actually win, as both players spent lots of time hitting from the scrub and desert that surround the fairways in Marana, Ariz. He jumped to a two-up lead after two holes, lost the lead, then managed to move ahead again early in the back nine.

Tiger's Torrey Tiger Woods has played Torrey Pines 14 times as a professional and is a combined 174 under par in those events, with earnings totaling $8,195,096. He has won eight of those tournaments. His victory Monday was his 75th as a pro (seven behind Sam Snead's record). A look at his finishes at Torrey Pines, with his relationship to par: 2013; First; -14 2012; DNP 2011; T44; -1 2010; DNP; 2009; DNP; 2008; First; -19 2008; First*; -1 2007; First; -15 2006; First; -10 2005; First; -16 2004; T10; -8 2003; First; -16 2002; T5; -10 2001; Fourth; -17 2000: T2; -14 1999; First; -22 1998; T3; -11 *U.S.

Here are a few highlights from Tiger Woods' Tuesday morning news conference in advance of this week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. --Tiger agrees with Phil? Well, sort of. Phil Mickelson made news this week when he said he might leave California because of the state's income tax laws. "Well, I moved out of here back in '96 for that reason," Woods explained. "I enjoy Florida, but also I understand what he was, I think, trying to say. I think he'll probably explain it better and in a little more detail.

Golfer Rory McIlroy is feeling good coming off of his record-setting eight-stroke victory at the PGA Championship earlier this month. So good, in fact, that he isn't afraid to call out perhaps the greatest golfer of all time: Tiger Woods. At a news conference for The Barclays tournament, which started Thursday at Bethpage Black in New York, McIlroy was asked about next month's Ryder Cup. Just a few minutes before the question, Woods, who was to interviewed next, had entered the room.

Tiger Woods is one round away from returning to No. 1 in the world. With key par saves early in his round and an eagle for the third straight day at Bay Hill, Woods seized control Saturday with a six-under 66 to race by Justin Rose and build a two-shot lead going into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando, Fla. Woods was at 11-under 205, two shots ahead of Rickie Fowler (67), John Huh (71) and Rose, who at one point was six shots ahead of Woods. Rose had a 39 on the back nine and wound up with a 72. Woods hasn't been No. 1 in the world ranking since the last week of October 2010.

Tiger Woods' first-ever round at Turnberry included a drop beneath a left-side TV stand, a reach downward to pull up a wad of cables to clear room for a shot in the right rough, an approach to No. 16 that roamed into the back trough of the curling burn, two clubs either dropped or tossed and one hollered instruction on No. 13 toward a traveling ball of "Don't do it! Don't do it!" It did it anyway. His brilliance saved par there, but his waywardness sent shots rightward everywhere.

Has any competitor ever meant more to his sport -- in terms of creating buzz, drawing fans, etc. -- than Tiger Woods? . . . Maybe Muhammad Ali? . . . Babe Ruth? . . . Lance Armstrong? . . . ESPN's so-called Mt. Rushmore of sports for California: Woods, John Wooden, Magic Johnson and Jackie Robinson. . . . Here's a Northern California alternative that wouldn't be bad: Willie Mays, Joe Montana, Bill Russell and Bill Walsh. . . .

Heard any good jokes lately? "It has been reported that a woman is now trying to sell a sex tape she made with Tiger Woods. The sex tape will be available soon at adult bookstores in the Tiger Woods section." -- Conan O'Brien "There is a new book out about the life of Warren Beatty. . . . It says Warren has slept with 12,000 women. . . . Barring injuries, Tiger may have a shot at that record." -- David Letterman It's been an unusual off-season for golf.

Turns out, he is what they say he is. He is what they shout. He is what they crave. He is what they believe. No matter how much his sleazy behavior has betrayed everything he claimed to be, Tiger Wood is still The Man. That's how it happens in sports, remember? That's how it happened at Augusta National on Thursday, in a roaring, revealing way that will ensure you never again forget. On golf's grandest stage, Woods crawled out from beneath a five-month sex scandal into the arms of an adoring public and the strength of an astounding swing.

Somebody might want to tell Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods that the words "private" and "secret" might be synonymous in some contexts, but not in the case of private planes. Especially when the jet is reportedly owned by the most famous golfer in the world and the person supposedly boarding it is a well-known skier who was already garnering plenty of attention on that particular day because of a season-ending injury that occurred at the world championships in Austria. TMZ.com ran a photo Friday of a hooded blond on crutches -- allegedly Vonn -- boarding a private plane -- reportedly belonging to Woods.