My Five: Favorite Tournaments

By Jaime Diaz

Golf Digest Senior Writer Jaime Diaz's personal ranking of favorite events

Father/Son Challenge (last played in 2008)This wonderful 36-hole team event should be revived. The pro participants are invariably in good moods, getting quality time with sons they often couldn't be with enough during their peripatetic playing primes. Meanwhile, the sons invariably gain new appreciation for their fathers' skills and mental toughness. Throughout, the physical resemblance and shared traits are fascinating. With the grouch factor null and void and nostalgia in the air, it's one of the best tournaments to interview players on any subject. Full disclosure: in 2002 I had the privilege of playing in the two-day pro-am at the Ocean Course in the Bahamas with my own father, along with Lee Trevino, Bernhard Langer and their sons.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo

The Tour ChampionshipI always enjoy this select-field season-ender as a place to put the year in perspective and settle final honors, but it was particularly special in 1993 and 1994 when the host was San Francisco's Olympic Club, for my money the best tournament site in the world. It was all good -- the October date showing off The City at its most shimmering, the Golden Age intimacy of the Lake Course making it a pleasure to walk and follow players, the 30-man field easy to access for interviews, often in the comfortable confines of Olympic's classic clubhouse. OK, it's my hometown.

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Trophee Lancome (last played in 2003)I'm no Francophile, but strolling around Versailles on sunny mornings fortified by the perfect croissant and perfect Café au lait kept Joni Mitchell's "Free Man in Paris" playing in my head for a month. The tournament proper -- at old timey Saint-Nom-la-Breteche -- had a cozy, bohemian feel, fitting for an event that was all about the good life and brimming with je ne sais quoi. The player and press hotel was the Trianon Palace, the site of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, where the ornate lobby seemed a completely natural place to sit down and chat with Mark O'Meara or David Duval. A final bonus was that the French take their dogs everywhere, including golf tournaments. I suppose there's a potential downside, but I found their well-behaved presence delightful.

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WGC-American Express ChampionshipAnother year-end, limited-field event that went particularly well in 1999, when it was held in Spain (it's now the WGC-CA Championships, held in March at Doral). The long, late dinners and high conviviality of the Costa Del Sol are still talked about by golf writers who were there, and the final round at Valderrama will always be one of my favorite memories of Tiger Woods. Playing masterfully in a gale, Woods was seven under for his round before making a triple-bogey 8 on the tricked-up 17th. He regained his poise to par 18 for a 68, and repaired to the tiny, crowded locker room to watch Miguel Angel Jimenez finish. While Woods stayed calm and conversational, it was fascinating to observe the other players sneaking looks to study how the 23-year-old-phenom -- already renowned for his ability to handle pressure -- was handling the moment. After finishing an apple, Woods went out and birdied the first hole of sudden death to finish "The Mechanic".

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Mitsubishi Electric ChampionshipAs a group, Champions Tour players give the best and most enjoyable interviews in the game. And they are never more relaxed than in the January season opener, formerly the MasterCard Championship, amid the lava-lined paradise of Hualalai on the Big Island. Basically a reward for winning the previous season, the whole setup epitomizes the Ultimate Mulligan, and the round bellies' gratitude is evident both in their willingness to share their stories and in their play. This year, the best finish in professional golf remained Tom Watson outdueling Fred Couples down the stretch at Hualalai.

Chris Stewart/AP Photo