What first began in 1952 as the San Diego Open, played at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, CA, is now one of the most respected PGA Tour events. Now played at San Diego’s Torrey Pines golf course, this year’s Buick Invitational, otherwise known as the Century Club of San Diego Invitational, will take place from Jan. 25-31, and tickets are going fast, so you’ll want to secure your spot today.

The Buick Invitational has taken place at the prestigious Torrey Pines, located in the La Jolla area of San Diego, since 1968. Since that time, the tournament has continued to grow in size and status, and recent tournament winners include last year’s Nick Watney (the first player in his 20’s to win on tour), and Tiger Woods from 2005-2008.

Curious what this year’s Buick Invitational has in store, and what days feature the must-attend events? Here, courtesy of the Buick Invitational Web site, is the tournament’s week-long lineup:
Monday, Jan. 25 (Admission Free)
• Practice rounds for PGA TOUR players
• Sycuan Resort Pro-Am, South Course, starting at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 26
• Practice rounds for PGA TOUR Players
• 12 p.m. Military Appreciation Luncheon
• 3:30 p.m. Junior Clinic, #4 North Course
Wednesday, Jan. 27
• Allianz Global Investors Wednesday Pro-Am, North and South Courses, starting at 6:42 a.m.
Thursday, Jan. 28
• Opening Round of the 2010 Century Club of San Diego Invitational, North and South Courses, starting at 8:30 a.m.
• Opening Ceremonies, 1st Tee South Course, starting at 7:30 a.m.
• The Golf Ball, Stingaree (Downtown San Diego), starting at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 29
• Second Round of the Tournament, North and South Courses, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 30
• Third Round of the Tournament, South Course, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 31
• Final Round of the Tournament, South Course, starting at 8:30 a.m.
• Awards Ceremony on the 18th Green
• Boys & Girls Clubs of San Diego Golf Tournament, North Course, starting at 7:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
In addition to providing a great week of golf entertainment, the Buick Invitational also raises an enormous amount of money for local charities. In 2009, the tournament raised $2.3 million, which benefitted more than 200 San Diego-based charity organizations and schools, thereby bringing the total amount raised since 1968 to $18 million.

Tickets are now being sold online, which is a much easier (and less expensive) way to see the tournament than purchasing tickets at the gate. Individual season badges, good Tuesday through Sunday, $105; daily tickets, Tuesday, $16; daily tickets, any day Wednesday through Sunday, $26; senior discount daily tickets, any day Tuesday through Sunday, $16; season preferred parking pass, good all week, Tuesday through Sunday, $90.

For more information on the tournament schedule, parking or ticket prices, visit http://www.buickinvitational.com.

Written by Amy Strand

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Of all the professional golf tournaments Tiger Woods could have selected to stage his colossal return to the game and his continued and inevitable domination over the sport – he chose Arizona. The Arizona-hosted World Golf Championships- Accenture Match Play Championship will be Tiger’s first competitive tournament since his U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines last June. Having spent the past eight months rehabbing his knee, anyone with even the mildest interest in golf is curious about his condition and quality of play upon his return.

While the golf world is abuzz with the release of the news just a few hours ago, it is especially meaningful to Arizonans and even more so to Tucsonans, who I am sure are now re-working their plans for February 26- March 1 to accommodate some Tiger-watching time.

Adding yet another dimension to the return of golf’s mega-watt star is the fact that the Accenture Match Play will showcase the world’s top talent on the ultra-fresh fairways of the Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona. Revealed to the public a little over a month ago on January 17th, the fairways at Ritz Golf Club are primed and prepared to stage the most-anticipated tournament of the 2009 season so far. Tiger’s presence there is just icing on the cake. I imagine tournament coordinators are toasting to Tiger as I write.

Also in the field will be Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim, the two young guns who have taken advantage of Woods’s absent status. Aside from Tiger, I’ll be watching out for Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old Irishman, who enjoyed victory at the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this season and is currently ranked 16th on the Official World Golf Rankings. Three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington, also an Irishman and ranked 3rd on the World Golf Rankings, will be onsite at Accenture as well. And the field also includes Sergio Garcia who has yet to play on American soil this season while instead concentrating on several European Tour starts.

Of the top 64 players invited to the match-play format, 17 hail from the United States, eight each from Australia and South Africa and seven from England. Other countries represented are Colombia, Fiji, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Spain and Sweden.

www.worldgolfchampionships.com.

- Nichole Brophy, Golf Editor.

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