California kings

Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Billy Casper — all native Californians — now share an obscure record for most PGA Tour victories in California at 14.

But there are differences.

Woods won his tournaments on four courses — eight at Torrey Pines, three at La Costa Resort, two at Pebble Beach and one at Harding Park. Nine of his 14 were regular PGA Tour events. He won U.S. Opens at Torrey and Pebble, two World Golf Championships at La Costa (Match Play) and one at Harding Park.

Mickelson won multiple times on all the West Coast venues, except for the Safeway Open at Silverado, which has been around for only five years. Along with his five titles at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Lefty has won three times at Torrey Pines and twice each at the old Bob Hope Classic, Riviera and the winners- only Mercedes Championship when it was at La Costa.

Casper was the real king of California. He won the U.S. Open at Olympic Club in 1966. He won twice at Pebble and the Hope, and twice in the Los Angeles area on different courses, neither of them Riviera. He also won seven other PGA Tour events, some of which no longer exist, such as the Bakersfield Open and Hesperia Open.

In all, Casper won his 14 titles in California on 12 courses. That doesn’t include the three- course rotation at the Hope.