PGA Tour: Can Tiger Woods Pull Out Another Victory at Torrey Pines?

There’s sure to be plenty of fireworks at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Any tournament that features Tiger Woods making his 2013 PGA Tour season debut is sure to draw some attention. Add to that the drama following Phil Mickelson after his comments about being taxed into the poorhouse last week and you have plenty of talk about outside of that has yet to be played.

Last year’s FedEx Cup champion, Brandt Snedeker, will be looking to defend his title at one of Woods’ favorite courses. Tiger has won eight times at the venue, including the 2008 U.S. Open victory that he captured in a thrilling showdown with Rocco Mediate. For those of you who don’t remember, Woods won an 18-hole playoff that went an extra two holes while playing on a torn ACL and a fractured leg.

I think Mickelson will have a very solid outing, but the buzz surrounding his comments about his taxable income might grow tiresome and play on his psyche a little bit. Snedeker has carried his momentum from 2012 over to the start of this year, placing in the top 25 in both events he’s played thus far. I expect him to have a solid chance of repeating.

I’m not usually one to jump on the Woods bandwagon and predict him to win before the week starts, but this week I think Tiger will ultimately pull out the victory. He obviously has an incredible history at Torrey Pines. Combine that with is going to want to make a major statement after an incredibly disappointing tournament last week where he missed the cut due to rules violation and you have the recipe for victory. I don’t foresee it being one of those events where he absolutely blows away the field, but I do expect him to be in command, or at least close to the top of the leaderboard, for the majority of the tournament.

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