Walk in Tiger's Footsteps:
Two Man Links Comes to Torrey Pines

There is a stretch of cliff in La Jolla where the Pacific does the talking, the paragliders drift overhead, and the fairways tumble toward the edge of the continent. It is one of the most famous pieces of golf real estate on earth — and the wild part is that anyone can play it. This December, you and a partner can do exactly that, on the same holes where Tiger Woods limped his way into legend.

The AmateurGolf.com 2026 Two Man Links & Father & Son Championship is heading to Torrey Pines, December 15–18, and it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting stops on our schedule. Before you grab your partner and sign up, let's talk about why this place hits different.

A Muni on the Cliffs

Here is the fact that surprises people most: Torrey Pines is a municipal golf course. It is owned by the City of San Diego. There is no membership, no secret handshake, no decades-long waitlist — just a tee sheet and a dream. That a public course can stand shoulder to shoulder with the most exclusive clubs in America is, in a word, fantastic.

The land has a story. During World War II it was Camp Callan, a sprawling Army training base perched above the sea. When the war ended, the bluffs were handed back to the city, and in 1957 Torrey Pines opened for golf — two courses, North and South, named for the Torrey pine, the rarest native pine in the United States, which grows wild almost nowhere else on the planet.

Over the decades the South Course was toughened into a championship test — Rees Jones reshaped it in 2001 — while the North got its own modern makeover from Tom Weiskopf in 2016. The PGA Tour rolls into town every January for the Farmers Insurance Open, and the course has hosted U.S. Opens in 2008 and 2021, plus the 2025 Genesis Invitational. Not bad for a course where the green fee comes with a city resident discount.

The Tiger Woods Effect

You cannot tell the Torrey Pines story without Tiger Woods, because Tiger basically grew up here. As a junior golfer he won the Junior World Championships on these grounds. As a pro, he turned the place into a personal trophy room — eight PGA Tour titles at Torrey Pines, a number so absurd it is hard to process.

And then there is 2008. The U.S. Open. Tiger arrived at Torrey Pines with a double stress fracture in his left leg and a torn ACL, the kind of injury that ends seasons. Instead, he gutted out 72 holes, drained a knee-buckling putt on the 72nd green to force a playoff, then went 18 more holes on Monday against Rocco Mediate — and when that ended all square, a 19th. He won. It was his 14th major championship, and he did it essentially on one leg. Days later he had season-ending surgery.

That is the magic of an event like this. When you stand on the South Course's closing stretch, you are not just playing golf. You are standing where one of the greatest competitive performances in sports history actually unfolded. The ghosts here are good ones.

Your Turn on the Tee

The Two Man Links format is built for exactly this kind of bucket-list golf: grab a friend, a parent, or a child, and play a 54-hole best-ball championship as a two-person team. No solo grinding, no sandbagging required — just you, your partner, and three days of golf you will be retelling for years.

The rotation is a beauty. Round 1 takes on Torrey Pines North. Round 2 moves to the championship South. And the final round shifts to Coronado Golf Course — a postcard of a muni tucked along San Diego Bay, with the downtown skyline and the Coronado Bridge framing nearly every shot. Awards follow immediately after play.

Every pairing is welcome — father & son, mother & daughter, spouses, lifelong friends — and the event includes a dedicated Father & Son Championship with its own gross and net prizes, plus eligibility for the overall titles.

The Early Bird Is Calling

Here is the part that should get you off the fence. Registration is open now, and as a thank-you for being part of the AmateurGolf.com community, we are extending an early bird discount — $250 off per player, a full $500 in savings per team.

Space at Torrey Pines is extremely limited and reserved for the most enthusiastic players among us. If a December trip to the California coast with your favorite golf partner sounds like the right way to close out the year — and honestly, how could it not — now is the moment to lock it in.

See You on the Cliffs

Some golf courses you play. Torrey Pines is one you experience — the ocean air, the cliff-edge fairways, the weight of the history under your spikes. Add a best friend, a 54-hole championship, and a $500 head start, and you have the makings of a trip you will be talking about long after the awards are handed out.

Grab your partner. Pick your tees. We will see you on the first tee in December.