Tiger Woods draws far and away the largest gallery for the Farmers Insurance Open each year at Torrey Pines.
And so it was Thursday morning on No. 1 South as the 10:40 tee time approached for Woods and playing partners Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau.
Spectators crowded all along the rope line on the 421-yard hole from tee to green. It was as many as half a dozen deep around the tee box, with others overlooking the area from the clubhouse and grandstand behind the 18th green. If everyone took a number, it likely would have totaled 3,000 people.
“Is this Sunday or Thursday? Wow!” one fan exclaimed.
Several in the group began to reposition virtually as soon as Woods’ tee shot touched down in the first fairway, neglecting to wait for Finau to take his first swing.
The crowd around the first hole had reason to arrive early this year because another power group teed off just ahead of Woods and Co. — Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott.
Loyalties were, if not divided, kind of confused as spectators tried to determine how to follow along.
Not many people left their positions after McIlroy, Fowler and Scott departed as they waited for golf’s greatest player.
Contrast that to the scene at the North Course’s No. 10th tee, running alongside No. 1 South like a parallel universe.
Teeing off between the McIlroy group’s departure and Woods group’s arrival was the threesome of Marc Leishman, Kevin Tway and Hudson Swafford.
Two dozen fans stood behind the golfers — most by happenstance — as the players began their round.
The biggest commotion came with Tway in the midst of his pre-swing routine, when a fan on a motorized scooter put it in reverse and triggered the backup warning.
“Beep, beep, beep, beep.”
A marshal quickly quieted the situation.
As Leishman, Tway and Swafford walked away down the fairway, five people followed them — three caddies, a standard bearer and a walking scorer.
That’s how it was around much of the course, where 50 other threesomes played in relative anonymity.
Even the group on the North Course that included three former Farmers champions — Jason Day (2018 and 2015, Brandt Snedeker (2016 and 2012), Jon Rahm (2017) — had perhaps two dozen followers. They were witness to Rahm’s 10-under 62, the lowest score on the North since its redesign three years ago.
The biggest crowd on the North was one group behind Rahm, with perhaps a few hundred fans following world No. 1 Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Billy Horschel
Back to the super groups, which, after finishing the first hole saw their followings splinter into multiple groups.
Some fans followed along, but many others participated in a giant game of leapfrog, with spectators skipping ahead a hole or two to beat the crowd for prime viewing positions.
Then were those who seemed dazed and confused with the whole thing.
“Wait a second, that’s two, three,” said one guy, pointing toward holes.
“No, that’s six,” said his buddy.
The Farmers provides a hardcopy course map for spectators. Maybe there should be an app for that, too.
One group of college-age kids stood behind the first green after the Woods group moved through and plotted strategy.
“Should we follow Rickie and Rory?” one asked.
“What about Spieth?” said another.
“We can go to 14, then across to 18,” someone chimed in.
Then there was this guy (because there’s always this guy): “Isn’t there two 18s? So this is the South Course?”
It was interesting how many people were near the action — somehow knowing that this was the place to be — but oblivious to it.
As Tiger prepared to putt on the second green, one guy 100 yards away, had his back to the action as he detailed to two others the apartment complex he was in the process of buying.
Between the second and sixth fairways was a golf cart that resembled a classic old car. It was stocked with water bottles under the hood and beer bottles in the back. Not a bad idea.
“That’s such a cool golf cart,” said one fan.
“What’s cooler are the contents,” piped up one of the proprietors.
So taken with the cart was the woman that she asked to sit in the driver’s seat to have her picture taken. Then she took a photo of her two friends standing behind it.
She did this as the power groups marched on, toward the third and fourth holes that Fowler would birdie.
This would have been news to the fan fascinated with the golf cart, who was talking like she wanted to get one for her son living in Georgia.
Wonder if they allow those at Augusta National?
Oranges to oranges
As the power groups played the South’s sixth hole, a guy honoring Woods was dressed in an orange tiger costume that seemed more appropriate for a sleep over than a golf course. He ed another guy along the fairway ropes who was modeling something out of the Fowler collection, dressed from head to toe in orange — from his Puma cap to his shirt and pants to his Puma shoes.
Can’t recall so many people dres as their favorite celebrity crush since three girls at Ridgemont High cultivated the Pat Benatar look.
Heard it hear first
The biggest news of the day came as a group of fans ed along the pathway that bisects the South’s fifth hole.
And it didn’t involve golf but college football.
It seems former Utah/Florida/Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, retired now for all of four weeks, is getting back into coaching.
“A year from now at USC,” one guy said to the other four men in his group. “That’s the rumor.”
“They’ve definitely got the money,” said another.
This all will come as a surprise to present Trojans head coach Clay Helton. Or maybe not.
We won’t believe it until we see someone tweet it.
Front runners
This was the first Farmers Insurance Open appearance for McIlroy.
Another first at Torrey Pines: Two guys wearing Rams hats.
At least they removed the price tags before putting them on.
[email protected] / on Twitter: @sdutkirKDKenney
