CIFIC LISADES, California -- Tiger Woods ended his nine-month drought last week and will try to exact revenge against Billy Mayfair when the $2.8 million Nissan Open gets under way Thursday at the Riviera Country Club.

Woods tied his career best with a 62 on Saturday and shot a 65 on Sunday to win the Buick Invitational, his first victory since the BellSouth Classic last May. It was just the second win in 19 months for the world's top-ranked golfer.

Woods had a chance to win here last year but succumbed to a fantastic finish by Mayfair. In snapping a three-year victory drought, Mayfair beat Woods with a birdie on the first playoff hole after shooting a 67 in the final round.

In 2 1/2 years on Tour, Woods has eight wins, 16 top-three and 30 top-10 finishes. He has earned $791,120 through four events this year, well more than one-third of what he picked up in 20 events in 1998, when he finished fourth on the money list.

Only Horton Smith, who won 10 times by the age of 22, won eight tournaments faster than the 23-year-old Woods. He must guard against looking ahead to his battle with Nick Faldo in next week's first-round match at the Match Play Championship. Faldo is not entered this week.

Mayfair also won last year's Buick Open, bringing his career victory total to five. After opening 1999 with a second-place finish in the Mercedes Championships, he tied for 28th at the Bob Hope Classic and missed the cut at the Phoenix Open.

Others entered are 1994-95 winner Corey Pavin, who is winless since capturing The Colonial in May 1996, and Zimbabwe's Nick Price. Price is participating in his first PGA Tour event of the season in preparation for his match with Frankie Minoza of the Philippines in the first round of the Match Play Championship.

Lanny Wadkins set the tournament record in 1985 with a 20-under-par 264. The single-round mark of 9-under 62 was set by Larry Mize in 1985 and matched by Kenny Perry 10 years later.

The Riviera Country Club course is a par-71 that measures 6,946 yards.