FORCE FIELD; TIMING, MONEY ATTRACT TOP PLAYERS TO RIVIERA CC.Byline: Dave Shelburne Daily News Staff Writer The Nissan Open The Northern Trust Open, formally known as the Nissan Open and originally known as the Los Angeles Open, is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in February in Pacific Palisades, California. begins today at Riviera Country Club The Riviera Country Club is a country club with a championship golf course. It is located in Pacific Palisades, California, within the city limits of Los Angeles, California. The country club opened in 1926, with George C. Thomas, Jr. as the course architect. with a $2.8 million purse and the best field in the 73-year history of the tournament. Seven players ranked in the current world top-10, headed by the dynamic 1-2 duo of Tiger Woods  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. and David Duval David Robert Duval (born November 9, 1971) is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour. Background and careerAmateur career Duval was born in Jacksonville, Florida. , are on hand. Twenty-eight others who will join those seven in next week's 64-man World Match Play Championship at La Costa
The La Costa Resort and Spa also are entered. Many in those two groups have contributed to this year's Nissan being able to field 22 major winners - including reigning titlists Lee Janzen Lee McLeod Janzen (born August 28 1964) is an American golfer who is best known for twice winning the U.S. Open. Overview Janzen was born in Austin, Minnesota and spent most of his childhood in Baltimore, Maryland, where he played Little League baseball. (U.S. Open The term U.S. Open is applied to "open" United States national championships in a particular sport, in which anybody, amateur or professional, American or non-American may compete. These include:
Vijay Singh (born 22 February, 1963) is a professional golfer who was number one in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. (PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the U.S. PGA Championship outside of North America) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers Association of America as part of the PGA Tour. ). The best measure of the '99 Nissan depth might be that it could absorb the late loss of two recent British Open champions - Tom Lehman Thomas Edward Lehman (born March 7, 1959) is an American professional golfer. Lehman was born in Austin, Minnesota but Alexandria, Minnesota is credited as his official Minnesota hometown. and John Daly John Daly is the name of:
That depth is partly the result of timing and money - with a combined $7.8 million available this week and next, $1.5 million just to the winners. But one of golf's most-respected players thinks the quality of this field also has much to do with history. ``It's a very good field and, to me, it's a compliment to the golf course,'' Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Biennial team golf event first held in 1927. It was originally played between teams of golfers from the U.S. and Britain; since 1979 players opposing the U.S. have been chosen from all of Europe. The trophy was donated by the British seed merchant Samuel Ryder. captain Ben Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952) is an American golfer. He was born in Austin, Texas. He attended and played golf at Austin High School and the University of Texas before turning professional in 1973. said Wednesday. ``This is a different place, a unique place. It's meant a lot to our tour, a lot to our golf history. There's been a great legacy left behind here by Ben Hogan Noun 1. Ben Hogan - United States golfer who won many major golf tournaments (1912-1997) Hogan, William Benjamin Hogan , Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson, Jr. (February 4 1912 – September 26 2006) was an American PGA Tour golfer between 1935 and 1946. He and two other well known golfers of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within 6 months of each other in 1912. , Lloyd Mangrum Lloyd Eugene Mangrum (August 1, 1914 – November 17, 1973) was an American golfer. A Texan, he was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course. Mangrum was born in Trenton, Texas. . . . . Everybody that has been a great player on tour has played here and in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . A lot of people would love to win here.'' This week's favorites have to include Woods, 23, and Duval, 27, whose brilliant play is bringing back memories of the Jack Nicklaus-Arnold Palmer rivalry of the 1960s and '70s. Although neither has played as many as five full seasons (Duval joined the tour in '95, Woods late in '96), the two already have combined for 17 wins, nine by Duval. Woods broke out of an 11-month victory drought last week at the Buick Invitational The Buick Invitational, is a PGA Tour professional golf tournament played in the San Diego, California area in the early part of the Tour season, known as the "West Coast Swing. in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , but he had been playing well much of that time. ``I just hadn't won,'' said the world's top-ranked player, who started his career with six wins in less than his first full year, including a record 12-stroke victory at the 1997 Masters. ``I was very pleased with the progress I'd made. I just needed to be patient. That's just part of the game. It's just a matter of time.'' Other prominent names this week include defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Billy Mayfair, who edged Woods in a playoff in last year's Nissan at Valencia Country Club, and recent champions Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler and Fred Couples. What that latter trio has in common besides Nissan trophies is a long time on tour - something that comes into play often in the winner's circle at Riviera. Pavin, 39, one of only four players - with MacDonald Smith, Ben Hogan and Palmer - to win consecutive Nissans (1994-95), benefited from course knowledge gained playing Riviera in his UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX days. Course familiarity also paid off for 1996 Nissan champ Stadler, 45. The well-aging Walrus walrus, marine mammal, Odobenus rosmarus, found in Arctic seas. Largest of the fin-footed mammals, or pinnipeds (see seal), the walrus is also distinguished by its long tusks and by cheek pads bearing quill-like bristles. from USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. who was third at Pebble Beach two weeks ago. ``I've played (Riviera) a zillion times,'' Stadler said at last week's Buick Invitational, where he included a round of 65 in a 26th-place finish. ``I know it pretty well and always seem to play well there.'' ``The old guys, you see them doing well,'' said Bob Burns, the 30-year-old former Cal State Northridge star back on tour after winning last year's Nike Tour Championship and money title. ``It's a traditional old course and there are guys that have been coming out here for 20 years. Freddie likes this course.'' Does he ever. Couples, hardly old but no longer one of the young whiz kids despite his youthful appearance (the 1992 Masters champ will turn 40 in October), doubts he'll ever pass up a chance to play at Riviera if he's healthy. ``It's one of the best courses we play on tour,'' said the man who won the Nissan at Riviera in 1990 and '92 and finished second twice there in the last five years. Couples likes the way the course suits his left-to-right game, he loves the small greens and he really appreciates the way the fans support him - boisterous roars of ``Boom-Boom'' echoing through the eucalyptus trees are an annual rite of winter at the wind-buffeted Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). course. ``I don't veer too far away from events where I play well,'' Couples said, ``and I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how you can get a better course for a PGA Tour event.'' Crenshaw cren·shaw also cran·shaw n. A variety of winter melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus) having a greenish-yellow rind and sweet, usually salmon-pink flesh. [Origin unknown.] , who has been coming to Riviera almost annually every year since 1974, agrees with that. ``It's been a great part of our tour,'' he said. ``This course is a challenge.'' And this week, it seems, Riviera has a field equipped for the challenge. NISSAN OPEN: TRACK & FIELD RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB`S TOUGHEST HOLES No. 4, Par-3, 238 yards Afternoon wind can make this monster play closer to 260 yards, and it doesn't help that the front of the green is guarded by a giant bunker stretching nearly 40 yards back toward the teebox. Ben Hogan called it ``the greatest par-3 hole in America.'' Craig Stadler, the 1996 Nissan champ, says the best way to play No. 4 is ``knock it on the green, take your two putts and go on to the next hole.'' No. 10, Par-4, 311 yards Jerry Pate, the 1976 U.S. Open champion, says this short hole, with no water hazard or out-of-bounds ``is one of the greatest par-4 holes in the world. . . . a very demanding hole.'' The problems include a narrow, sloping green that is difficult to hold and a gaping bunker 50 yards short of the green. The best approach is from the left, and although big hitters can drive the green, ``you don't want to miss a drive right,'' says former UCLA star Scott McCarron. ``Right on this hole is death.'' No. 18, Par-4, 447 yards Jack Nicklaus calls this his favorite hole at Riviera: ``You've got to hit two excellent shots. Too far right with the drive and you have tall eucalyptus trees to contend with. Your second shot to the green must be on target. Too far to the left and the ball stays in the kikuyu grass kikuyu grass see pennisetumclandestinum. with little chance to pitch it close to the hole.'' PAST CHAMPIONS 1926 Harry Cooper 1927 Bobby Cruickshank 1928 MacDonald Smith 1929 MacDonald Smith 1930 Densmore Shurte 1931 Ed Dudley 1932 MacDonald Smith 1933 Craig Wood 1934 MacDonald Smith 1935 Vic Ghezzi 1936 Jimmmy Hines 1937 Harry Cooper 1938 Jimmy Thompson 1939 Jimmy Demaret 1940 Lawson Little 1941 Johnny Bulla 1942 Ben Hogan 1943 War Sports Blackout 1944 Harold McSpaden 1945 Sam Snead 1946 Byron Nelson 1947 Ben Hogan 1948 Ben Hogan 1949 Lloyd Mangrum 1950 Sam Snead 1951 Lloyd Mangrum 1952 Tommy Bolt 1953 Lloyd Mangrum 1954 Fred Wampler 1955 Gene Littler 1956 Lloyd Mangrum 1957 Doug Ford 1958 Frank Stranahan 1959 Ken Venturi 1960 Dow Finsterwald 1961 Bob Goalby 1962 Phil Rodgers 1963 Arnold Palmer 1964 Paul Harney 1965 Paul Harney 1966 Arnold Palmer 1967 Arnold Palmer 1968 Billy Casper 1969 Charles Sifford 1970 Billy Casper 1971 Bob Lunn 1972 George Archer 1973 Rod Funseth 1974 Dave Stockton 1975 Pat Fitzsimons 1976 Hale Irwin 1977 Tom Purtzer 1978 Gil Morgan 1979 Lanny Wadkins 1980 Tom Watson 1981 Johnny Miller 1982 Tom Watson 1983 Gil Morgan 1984 David Edwards 1985 Lanny Wadkins 1986 Doug Tewell 1987 T.C. Chen 1988 Chip Beck 1989 Mark Calcavecchia 1990 Fred Couples 1991 Ted Schulz 1992 Fred Couples 1993 Tom Kite 1994 Corey Pavin 1995 Corey Pavin 1996 Craig Stadler 1997 Nick Faldo 1998 Billy Mayfair PGA TOUR STATISTICS SCORING 1, David Duval, 68.27. 2, Justin Leonard, 68.68. 3, Tiger Woods, 68.70. 4, Payne Stewart, 68.99. 5, Rocco Mediate, 69.24. 6, Mark O'Meara, 69.25. 7, Loren Roberts, 69.30. 8, Fred Funk, 69.32. 9, Craig Stadler, 69.33. 10, Jeff Maggert, 69.44. DRIVING DISTANCE 1, John Daly, 307.5-yard average on two measured holes per round. 2, Tiger Woods, 295.7. 3, David Duval, 284.9. 4, Steve Jones, 284.4. 5, Dennis Paulson, 283.8. 6, Harrison Frazar, 283.5. 7, Scott McCarron, 283.4. 8, Chris Couch, 283.0. 9 (tie), John Elliott and Robert Damron, 281.7. DRIVING DISTANCE 1, Fred Funk, 82.5 percent. 2, Lee Janzen, 79.9. 3, Steve Elkington, 79.0. 4, Steve Pate, 78.8. 5, Joe Durant, 77.7. 6, Brian Watts, 77.3. 7, John Huston, 77.2. 8, Glen Day, 77.0. 9 (tie), Jeff Maggert and David Duval, 76.9. GREENS IN REGULATION 1, John Huston, 76.5 percent. 2, Loren Roberts, 76.1. 3 (tie), Bob Estes and Tiger Woods, 75.6. 5, Robert Allenby, 75.4. 6, David Duval, 75.0. 7, Davis Love III Davis Milton Love III (born April 13, 1964) is an American professional golfer. Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. , 74.8. 8 (tie), John Cook and Mark O'Meara, 74.2. 10, Vijay Singh, 74.1. PUTTING 1, David Duval, 1.662 per green reached in regulation. 2, Payne Stewart, 1.675. 3, Fred Couples, 1.707. 4, Justin Leonard, 1.709. 5 (tie), Loren Roberts and Chris Riley, 1.713. 7, Billy Mayfair, 1.717. 8, Jeff Sluman, 1.724. 9, Steve Stricker, 1.733. 10, Tommy Tolles, 1.739. BIRDIES 1, David Duval, 5.50 per round. 2, Payne Stewart, 4.75. 3, Loren Roberts, 4.69. 4, Tiger Woods, 4.60. 5 (tie), Fred Couples and Justin Leonard, 4.55. 7, Bob Estes , 4.38. 8, Billy Mayfair, 4.27. 9, Fred Funk, 4.24. 10, two players tied at 4.23. EAGLES 1 (tie), Jimmy Green and Katsumasa Miyamoto, 54.0 holes per eagle. 3, Carlos Franco, 63.0. 4, Billy Mayfair, 66.0. 5, Jonathan Kaye, 68.4. 6 (tie), Peter Jacobsen and Scott McCarron, 72.0. 8 (tie), Scott Hoch and John Huston, 78.0. 10, three players tied at 81.0. SAND SAVES 1, Tim Herron, 80.0 percent. 2, Jeff Sluman, 75.7. 3, Kirk Triplett, 75.0. 4, Phil Blackmar, 73.3. 5 (tie), Steve Elkington, Lanny Wadkins and Justin Leonard, 71.4. 8, John Huston, 70.6. 9, Fred Couples, 70.0. 10, Dudley Hart, 69.2. ALL-AROUND 1, David Duval, 126 total placings in all categories. 2, John Huston, 167. 3, Tiger Woods, 177. 4, Vijay Singh, 180. 5, Bob Estes, 273. 6, Mark O'Meara, 292. 7, Justin Leonard, 309. 8, Davis Love III, 310. 9 (tie), Jeff Maggert and Billy Mayfair, 319. CAPTION(S): 11 Photos, 3 Boxes PHOTO TEN GOLFERS TO WATCH (1) BOB BURNS Age: 29 This year: Likes tough courses. Shot 66 in first round at Buick Invitational last week and finished tied for 18th. Notable: Former CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge All-American and 1990 NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II champion previously was full-time PGA Tour player in 1994-95. (2) DAVID DUVAL Age: 27 This year: Won $1 million in first two starts this year. Notable: The son of current senior tour player Bob Duval has won nine of past 30 starts, punctuated by a one-stoke victory at Bob Hope Chrysler Classic The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of , where he shot final-round 59. (3) ERNIE ELS Age: 29 This year: Making his first PGA Tour start of the year, but has proven himself on tough courses. Notable: Nicknamed ``Big Easy'' because of fluid swing, Els has two U.S. Open titles and eight other top-10 finishes in majors. (4) BILL GLASSON Age: 29 This year: Shot 68-67-68-67 last week to finish third at Buick Invitational. Notable: Medical history includes elbow surgery, four sinus operations, four knee surgeries, lip surgery and two forearm surgeries. (5) FRED COUPLES Age: 39 This year: Loves Riviera, but who wouldn't after two wins, two seconds at Nissan in the '90s? Notable: With past success, Couples annually attracts one of biggest and loudest galleries at Riviera. (6) CRAIG STADLER Age: 45 This year: Local knowledge will help again for USC alum. Notable: The 1982 Masters champion won the Nissan Open at Riviera in 1996 for the most recent of his 12 tour victories. (7) COREY PAVIN Age: 39 This year: UCLA alum is one of only four to win back-to-back at Nissan. Notable: Pavin was tour's leading money-winner in 1991 and won U.S. Open in '95. (8) BILLY MAYFAIR Age: 32 This year: Finished second in tour-opening Mercedes Championship. Notable: Won 1986 U.S. Public Links championship, 1997 U.S. Amateur title and won Fred Haskins award as nation's top collegiate golfer while at Arizona State. (9) DAVIS LOVE III Age: 33 This year: Tied for second at SONY Open, eighth at Mercedes Championship and ranked No. 4 in world. Notable: Son of highly regarded golf instructor won PGA Championship in 1997 and has been top-10 finisher in majors nine times. (10) TIGER WOODS Age: 23 This year: Ranked No. 1 in the world and ranks with Duval as the player to beat every week. Notable: With victory Sunday in Buick Invitational, 1997 Masters champion Woods has won nine times in less than three full seasons. (11--Color) Defending champion Billy Mayfair will have to hold off a field that includes 22 major winners and hotshots David Duval and Tiger Woods. Michael Caulfield/Associated Press BOX: (1) NISSAN OPEN: TRACK & FIELD (see text) (2) PAST CHAMPIONS (see text) (3) PGA TOUR STATISTICS (see text) |
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