One of the biggest stories every year when the PGA Tour visits Los Angeles in the west coast swing is the Riviera Country Club.
The Northern Trust Open was first held in 1926 when it was called the L.A. Open and has been predominantly held at famed Riviera since 1973.
Ben Hogan won this event in 1942, 1947 and 1948, plus he added a win in the 1948 U.S. Open at Riviera. Other past winners include, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson.
In addition to the 1948 U.S. Open, Riviera hosted the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships. George C. Thomas receives the credit for designing Riviera in the Santa Monica Canyon, but Dr. Alister Mackenzie was also involved in the original layout. The course was renovated by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 1992.
Riviera sits inside Los Angeles proper and has been honored to have some very famous members. Humphrey Bogart, Peter Falk, Dean Martin and Walt Disney were members here. Tom Brady, Adam Sandler and Larry David can be seen walking the fairways at Riviera.
Being in such close proximity to Hollywood, Riviera has been the setting for three memorable movies. “Pat and Mike” starred Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Babe Zaharias. Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin were the leads in “The Caddy.” “Follow the Sun” with Glenn Ford was a tribute to Hogan.
Even though Fred Couples now plays mainly on the Champions tour, he will make his 32nd start at Riviera this week He has won this event twice, has 14 top-10 finishes and made 28 cuts here.
Even though Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are not here this week, the field will include 12 of the top-25 ranked players in the world.
Watch for shot makers to do well here. Small greens, narrow fairways and difficult kikuyu grass make Riviera a true test for modern-day professionals.