Play will begin Thursday morning in the $6.3 million Farmers Insurance Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, with a big change for fans planning to attend.
The main entrance has been changed to the Torrey Pines Gliderport at the south end of the club. Tournament organizers say that will allow them to open more entrance gates and get fans inside faster.
The hitch is that once patrons clear the gates, they'll be astride the 12th tee and 13th hole of the South Course, which means a long walk for those heading to the center of the action, or the North Course.
Parking will not be available at the gliderport.
Fans can park at SeaWorld San Diego or the Del Mar Fairgrounds for $20 and ride a shuttle to the course.
People will not be allowed on the shuttle if they are carrying items that are banned on the courses, including backpacks, large purses or tote bags, coolers, food and beverages, and cameras.
On Saturday and Sunday, parking will also be available at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, 10820 N. Torrey Pines Road, for $30, or the parking structure at 3506 Cray Court for $25.
Free valet parking for bikes will be offered at the tennis courts at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.
Tiger Woods will tee off with Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel at 9:20 a.m. Thursday at the 10th tee of the North Course. Woods is coming off the worst round of his professional career, an 11-over-par 82 Friday at the TPC Scottsdale course, causing him to miss the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
"This is going to be a tough week," Woods said. "The rough's up this week. I was shocked at how fast the greens are on the North Course."
Woods has won the Farmers Insurance Open a record seven times, most recently in 2013. He missed the cut last year.
The gambling website Bodog has made Woods the co-seventh choice with Brandt Snedeker at 25-1. Jordan Spieth is the favorite at 10-1, with Jason Day and Jimmy Walker the co-second choices at 14-1.
San Diegan Phil Mickelson is set to begin play at 10:40 a.m. at the first tee of Torrey Pines South, along with Walker and Bill Haas, who won the Humana Challenge, which concluded Jan. 25, but was 76th last week.
One of the highlight trios of the first two rounds will see Waste Management Phoenix Open winner Brooks Koepka along with Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama. They'll follow the Woods group at No. 10 on Torrey Pines North.
Play continues on both courses Friday. The initial field of 156 will be reduced to the low 70 and ties following the conclusion of Friday's second round.
The Saturday and Sunday rounds will be held on the South Course. The winner will receive $1.134 million. When the tournament was moved to Torrey Pines in 1968, the purse was $150,000, with winner Tom Weiskopf receiving $30,000.
