Is Woods, 16, Ready for Riviera? : L.A. Open: Father of young Cypress golfer says his son won’t be intimidated.

Tiger Woods of Cypress is only 16 years old, and when he tees off in the Nissan Los Angeles Open Thursday, he will be the youngest player ever to compete in a PGA Tour event.

Woods will be one month and 21 days younger than Bob May, who was 16 years 3 months and 18 days when he played the L.A Open in 1985.

Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, said that his son will not be intimidated by the formidable competition.

“Tiger does not choke,” Woods said. “He has no fear of choking. He just gets better andbetter.”

Woods has played the Riviera Country Club course about seven times, four in the last month,in preparation for the tournament.

An outstanding junior golfer, he has won several tournaments against his peers.

“He knows how to win,” Earl Woods said. “Since he was 8 years old, if he had the lead in the final round, no one has ever caught him.”

It would be quite an accomplishment, considering his age, if Tiger even makes the cut in the L.A. Open.

It has been suggested that Tiger not wait much longer to make his professional debut. But Earl Woods said that his son’s education comes first.

Woods added that his son’s strength on a course is his mental toughness and short game. It will be tested this week.

Then, next Monday, his competition will be less formidable: He’ll represent Western Highschool in a match against Gahr High.

John Daly is expected to attract huge galleries at Riviera, as he has for every tournament since he won the PGA Championship last August.

He has been struggling this year, though, finishing 21st in the Tournament of Champions, 63rd at Phoenix, and missing the cut at the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the Buick Invitational in La Jolla.

Daly didn’t fare any better in Jamaica, Japan or Australia.

Daly said he isn’t under any added pressure this year because of his new fame, and he simply needs to become more consistent.

“Last year, when I was out of contention in a tournament, I sort of gave up,” he said. “I don’t like playing just in front of the marshals. I draw energy from the crowd.”

In his first appearance at Riviera last year, Daly didn’t make the cut.

However, he said he likes the course and reasons that he has a chance to reach the green with his tee shot at the par-four, 311-yard 10th hole.

However, he didn’t do it Tuesday in the Merrill Lynch shootout, his drive landing in the right rough short of the green.

Paul Azinger withdrew from the L.A. Open Tuesday, saying he’s suffering from back spasms.

Azinger is third on the money list this year with earnings of $253,450.

Azinger finished second in the Hawaiian Open and third in the Pebble Beach tournament, barely missing a playoff with Mark O’Meara and Jeff Sluman that O’Meara won.

Sluman won Tuesday’s shootout with a par on the 18th hole to beat Billy Andrade, who had a bogey.