The Buick Invitational Will Be Lacking Without Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate

The PGA Tour will head back to Torrey Pines this week for the Buick Invitational, which, as we all know, is the site of Woods’ incredible 2008 US Open victory.

Torrey Pines has always been a famous course due to its picturesque holes that line the San Diego cliffs and offer views that are comparable even to Pebble Beach.

However, Torrey Pines has seen its popularity increase tenfold since Woods’ miraculous win at the 2008 US Open on one leg over Rocco Mediate in the now legendary Monday duel.

It would have been surreal to see a healthy Tiger Woods once again gracing the cliff-side fairways of Torrey Pines, which could now probably be referred to as ‘Tiger’s Alley,’ but eight months after undergoing reconstructive ACL surgery, Woods is still in recovery mode.

The next best thing would have been to see fan favorite Rocco Mediate make his somewhat triumphant return to Torrey Pines. 

Rocco of course didn’t beat Tiger at the 2008 US Open, but his performance was triumphant all the same as Rocco stepped up and gave Woods a run for his money in a way that no one has since Bob Tway at the 2000 PGA Championship.

But, as if fate is now simply toying with golf fans, Rocco will also miss the Buick Invitational as he too underwent knee surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus that also happened to occur during his epic battle with Woods last June.

So basically, out of a field of 155-plus players, it came down to a Monday playoff between Rocco and his torn meniscus and Woods and his torn ACL and stress fractures—a realization that must be somewhat degrading to those players that were in the US Open field last June.

As most of the country continues to dig itself out of snow, ice, hail, sleet, freezing rain, and just about any other form of horrific winter weather imaginable, not to mention that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday indicating six more weeks of winter, Torrey Pines will offer golf fans some magnificent picturesque views that, if you are living in the mid-west or northeastern parts of the country, might dig you out of your winter depression for just a few hours.

Obviously Tiger and Rocco would have been the big story this week, but it is just not to be.

With Woods out of action for the past eight months, golf fans seem to actually be getting accustomed to the disappointment that comes with a PGA Tour event that is lacking some of the games biggest stars.

With no Tiger and Rocco, the biggest story this week will fall solely on a single golf club; that being Phil Mickelson’s driver and whether or it is in his bag this week after his shocking decision to play the 7,600 yard Torrey Pines with only a three-wood last year.