COMING FULL CIRCLE : WOODS BACK AT RIVIERA, SITE OF PGA START.

Byline: Associated Press 

The teen-ager with the winning smile and sweet golf swing went away from Riviera wondering whether he could ever play with the pros. Five years later, Tiger Woods is back, one of the favorites to win the Nissan Open.

Woods got his first taste of PGA Tour competition in 1992 when, as a 16-year-old high school golfing sensation in nearby Cypress, he got a sponsor's exemption into the tournament at Riviera Country Club. He missed the cut with scores of 72-75.

Woods, who returned to Riviera the following year and again missed the cut by shooting 74-78, distinctly remembers his first brush with the pros in 1992.

``I was 13 shots back, hit the ball all over the lot. To me then, the thought was inconceivable; I just couldn't do that (compete with the pros) at that time,'' he recalled.

``I thought I might never get there. But that did make me know what I had to do to get there.''

He ``got there'' in a hurry, winning three of the 11 tournaments he's played since turning pro last fall. And, at 21, he seems poised to become the tour's dominant player.

Although Woods' father, Earl, is in UCLA Medical Center after undergoing heart bypass surgery last week, and Tiger said he would be preoccupied thinking about his dad, there will be many of his relatives and friends in the gallery.

``I've talked to all of my friends. We've just been hanging out every day and having a good time,'' Woods said. Asked how much they talk about golf, he smiled and said, ``Not at all.''

He's not really home this week, though, because of the time it would take him to get to the golf course.

``It's about an hour away, but in the (rush-hour) traffic, it would probably take me three hours to get here,'' he said. ``I'm still staying in a hotel and playing golf, so in that way, it's like other places. But I have had a chance to enjoy some of my mother's cooking.''

Woods finished no lower than fifth in seven of the 11 tour events he's played, but he said he feels almost like he's starting over.

``I look at this as my rookie year,'' he said.

Asked if he would be disappointed if he didn't win any of the majors, he replied, ``It will be a successful year if I'm playing consistently, regardless of my majors performances. I look at the entire year in a broader scope. That's more important to me.''

Woods, who has had to learn to deal with celebrity status over the past few months, understands the demands but also wants to have some time to himself.

``It's a part of the game,'' he said of the attention. ``But I think people should understand that if everybody wants two seconds of my time for an autograph or a media person wants five minutes for an interview, that adds up over the course of the day, because there are hundreds of them (requests).

``For me, it's like being back in college, where you have to manage your time. I know you've got to be gracious and that all the people have good intentions and come out to see you, but I hope they also realize what's going on with me.''

Mark O'Meara believes living in the spotlight might take a toll on his young friend.

``He's handled it pretty well. . . I think it may wear on him,'' O'Meara said. ``But as long as he keeps performing at the level he's been performing, he's going to be a story.''

NISSAN OPEN

Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades.

When: Starting tee time today, 8 a.m.

Tickets: Available by calling (800) 752-OPEN or [phone]. Also available through Ticketron [phone].

Television: Today, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. on Channel 2.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: ``I thought I might never get there,'' Tiger Woods said of his chances of going pro, after playing Riviera in high school.

Associated Press

Box: NISSAN OPEN (see text)