Tiger Woods focusing on form at Torrey Pines despite PGA Tour-win record looming on the horizon

History never seems too far from Tiger Woods, but in the first week of his competitive year at perhaps his most favourite hunting ground of all, fresh immortality is within tantalising touching distance.

At the 2008 US Open, Torrey Pines witnessed its most prolific champion famously winning on one leg. A dozen years on, he returns to the San Diego layout perched on the Californian cliffs with both legs in working order and confident of marching past Sam Snead and claiming what would be a hugely significant milestone in his career.

As ever, however, his eyes extend no further past Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open. “I’m just thinking about the things I have to do to win this golf tournament,” Woods said in his press conference. “I’m more consumed in that. Let’s just get there first and then I’ll think about what 83 might mean.”

At least the queries which Woods seemingly finds so tiresome were not, for once, focused on when he will eclipse Jack Nicklaus’s record major haul of 18 - Woods has 15. Instead, the questions marks are flashing above his attempt to pass “Slammin’ Sam” in the charts of the golfers with most PGA Tour wins. And in this regard there is no “whether” about it.

Since he tied his countryman’s record of 82 in Japan in October, No 83 seems guaranteed to come at some time in 2020 and the only consideration is if it will arrive first time up. “It’s being able to win consistently and win a lot,“ Woods said. “In the course of my career, I think I’ve won five times in a season on 10 occasions. You need to win in bunches to get to 82.”

Woods has certainly won in bunches at Torrey Pine - eight times as a professional. Of course, everyone remembers his heroics of 12 years ago, when he ignored the advice of the medics and played through the pain of a shattered knee and two stress fractures of the tibia to beat Rocco Mediate in that 19-hole Monday play-off.

With surgery following immediately afterwards it was Woods’ last tournament for eight months. It was also his last major win until last year’s Masters; an eventuality that no one foresaw. “I’ve always enjoyed coming down here, I played here in junior golf and have played well here as a professional,” Woods said. “My dad brought me to Torrey as a kid, so this place is near and dear to my heart.”

For the first two rounds, Woods has been drawn alongside Colin Morikawa, the Los Angeles 22-year-old who is already a winner on the PGA Tour. This is something of a landmark in itself for Woods as it is the first time he has been in the same group as a player who was born after he turned pro in 1996.

“That just means I’ve been out here a while,” Woods said with a smile. “And that’s one of the neat things about golf. It’s not like football when you are measured over a decade. Here we are measured by decades, plural.

“Yeah, when I was younger, I had more days when I felt good rather than bad. Now I’m 44, it’s the other way around and it’s hard to put it together for all four days. But I’ve been able to win a few tournaments since my comeback and hopefully I can win a few more.”

Woods has triumphed three times in a 16-month period that has stunned the world. The Masters was obviously the euphoric moment, but the manner in which he finished the campaign after yet another operation - again on the knee - suggested that this major resurrection was no one-off. Indeed, observers at Royal Melbourne last month, where he led America to Presidents Cup glory, believed he was approaching his old masterful self.

“I didn’t touch a club until my birthday (on December 30), when I played with my son (Charlie),” Woods said. “I just wanted to get away from it. I was fried, physically and emotionally. But I ended the year on a good note and my game didn’t need a whole lot of dusting. One thing I’ll have to do is manage my adrenaline levels. I’m so excited to get out there and compete.”