FULL CIRCLE ON THE FAIRWAY WOODS SETS SIGHTS ON WINNING EVENT THAT STARTED IT ALL.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

Tiger Woods is healthy, overdue in his hometown tournament and his scoring ability is sharp.

The top-ranked player in the world has a lot going for him entering the Nissan Open, which begins today at Riviera Country Club.

But when Woods tees off against the best full field to date on the 2003 tour, desire might be the best asset he takes into a tournament that includes 40 of the top 50 players in the world golf rankings.

``It's something I've always wanted to do,'' Woods said of winning the Nissan, which began in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open.

Woods was a 16-year-old amateur in 1992 when he made his PGA Tour debut in the event, which he regards as a hometown tournament because he grew up in Cypress.

Three days after shooting 16 under par to win the Buick Invitational in his first tournament since knee surgery in December, Woods reeled off a 67 in Wednesday's Pro-Am at Riviera and reflected on his memories of the Pacific Palisades course.

``I've been coming up here ever since I was a little kid and watching the tournament,'' he said. ``And now I get a chance to participate in playing it. I've come close to winning this tournament a couple of times. But hopefully I can get it done this week.''

He came closest to winning the Nissan in 1998, when it was played at Valencia Country Club because Riviera was hosting the U.S. Senior Open that year. Woods lost in a playoff to Billy Mayfair that time and tied for second at Riviera in 1999, finishing two strokes behind Ernie Els.

In 1992, the year Fred Couples won his second Nissan title, Woods was given a sponsor's exemption and birdied his first hole.

``A lot of great memories,'' he said. ``You know, playing here for my first professional tournament and birdieing the first hole. I remember that. I will never forget how heavy that club felt.''

The rest of the tour has been feeling the weight of Woods since he won twice in eight starts after turning pro late in 1996, days after winning his third consecutive U.S. Amateur championship.

He picked up the pace the next year by winning the season-opening Mercedes Championships against the other 1996 winners, then the Masters by 12 strokes in his first try as a professional. He won four times in that 1997 season, spent much of 1998 refining his swing to become more consistent, then followed with eight tour victories in '99, nine in 2000, and five each of the past two years. He finished 2002 with 34 tour victories, eight majors and five of the past six Player of the Year awards.

Then came the knee surgery and the wondering. Would he be the same? Better, it turned out, in a competitive sense, judging from his play at the rain-soaked Buick Invitational in San Diego.

Despite hitting just nine fairways in his first two rounds, Woods hacked the ball out of 5- and 6-inch rough well enough to shoot 8 under par for those rounds. He completed a four-bogey tournament with a 68-68 weekend to win by two shots and said the knee responded with no problems to as tough a test as he could have given it.

``He looked like he had been playing for weeks in a row,'' said Brad Faxon, who played in the final group with Woods and Phil Mickelson on Sunday. ``He did everything he had to do. As expected, I guess, from what we've seen.''

Mickelson said: ``What impressed me the most is that it isn't easy to step in and out of competition, and he never gives anything back. I know I like to play a couple of tournaments and work my way into a competitive mindset, and he's able to walk in and out of it at will.''

Woods steps back into competition today against a field including defending champion Len Mattiace, U.S. major champions David Toms and Davis Love III, five other past Nissan champions and a 39-man international contingent.

``Obviously, it's a great field,'' Woods said. ``So hopefully, I can put myself in position.''

NISSAN OPEN

Site: Riviera Country Club

When: Thursday through Sunday

Tickets: $25, call [phone]

TV: USA (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m.; Saturday noon-3 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30-3 p.m.)

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(color) Tiger Woods might not be all smiles at the Nissan Open this weekend.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

NISSAN OPEN PAIRINGS