SAN DIEGO — Break out the umbrellas for rain, and the white flags for Tiger Woods.
Winning the Buick Invitational became a matter of when — not who — after Woods put on a clinic Saturday by hitting 17 greens in regulation, building an eight-shot lead and hoping he doesn’t have to wait until Monday to collect a fourth straight title at Torrey Pines.
“I’m in second place. I’m not really in contention,” said Stewart Cink, who is eight shots back. “He’s just hard to beat right now.”
Woods finished off a 6-under-par 66 with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th, where his 3-iron landed on the bank guarding a pond but stopped short of going into the water. That put him at 18-under 198, tying the 54-hole tournament record set by Woody Blackburn in 1985.
Woods shattered the Buick Invitational record for largest 54-hole lead (five shots). It was the largest advantage on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson led by eight shots at the BellSouth Classic in 2006.
This is a course Woods loves, but he has never dominated like this at Torrey Pines. Two years ago, he was in an eight-way tie for the lead with six holes to play. Last year, he had to rally from two shots behind in the final round.
“A lot more enjoyable,” Woods said of his lead. “You’ve still got to go out there and play well and post a number.”
