PINKISH HUE FOR PACIFIC PALISADES? PARNEVIK SHOULD CHALLENGE AFTER NEARLY WINNING LAST YEAR.Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer Red-hot or hot pink? It's a question to consider today, when the Nissan Open launches its golden anniversary tournament 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. in 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). , where the event long called the Los Angeles Open will feature one of its stronger casts. Likely front-runners in the 144-player field include No. 1 in the world Tiger Woods, who had 13 wins worldwide last year, and the rested tandem of Phil Mickelson and 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. - who have split wins as final-round leaders and playing partners in their previous two tournaments. And don't rule out Jesper Parnevik, the straight-shooting Swede swede: see turnip. who broke out pink pants for this event last year and nearly stole the show from eventual-winner Kirk Triplett. Parnevik's 22-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole forced Triplett to make a 4-foot par-saver for his first win in 266 tour starts. ``We made some comments about that being the longest birdie putt made by a guy in pink pants on the 18th hole,'' a relieved Triplett said, recalling the nerve-wracking finish. ``But he wears those pink pants a bunch now, so he's broken through that. I'm used to seeing them now.'' Parnevik is happily again getting used to Riviera, which he thinks could yield some low scores this week if the tournament can dodge the wind and rain that plagued it last year. ``I've never seen the greens this good at Riviera,'' he said after watching playing partner Sergio Garcia make ``12 birdies and an eagle, probably,'' in a practice round Monday. ``Back in the mid-90s, they were always struggling with the greens,'' Parnevik said. ``I think that's what kept a lot of the top players away, because it's a great course. But I think they re-did the greens twice,and now they're really good.'' It remains one of his favorite courses. ``I've always liked Riviera,'' said Parnevik, the 35-year-old Stockholm native who has four PGA Tour titles, 13 wins worldwide, nearly won the British Open in 1994 and is arguably the most-famous golfer in Sweden - if not the most famous Parnevik. His comedian father, Bo, holds that distinction, Jesper says of the man long known as ``the Johnny Carson of Sweden.'' ``It's probably still my dad, but it's starting to even out a little bit. . . . He's been around so long he has a broad scale when it comes to fans - anything from 90 to 25 years old. ``Golf, even though it's booming a lot, is not the huge sport in Sweden Sport is considered a national pastime in Sweden, and about half of the population actively takes part in sports activities. The most important all-embracing organisations for sports in Sweden are the Swedish Sports Confederation, and the . . We still have soccer and ice hockey as probably the two main sports.'' The younger Parnevik, however, has not only raised the profile of golf in his homeland but is plenty well-known on professional golf tours Top level professional golf consists of a year round schedule of weekly tournaments played all around the world. Most of the tournaments are organised into series called tours. There are separate tours for men and women. in Europe and in America. And not just for his trademark, bill-upturned hat that makes him recognizable from any distance on a course. He was ranked No. 8 on the PGA Tour last year, when, In addition to nearly winning the Nissan, he won the GTE GTE General Telephone & Electronics GTE Génie Thermique et Énergie (French) GTE Gas Turbine Engine GTE Global Tropospheric Experiment GTE Geothermal Energy GTE Gas Turbine Efficiency plc (Sweden & USA) Byron Nelson Classic and 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 - although he could not defend his Hope title last week. He needed to leave that tournament early to be with his wife for the birth of their fourth child and first son. ``It was good coming back (to the Hope), remembering all the good shots,'' he said. ``And in that sense it was a little bit frustrating to be home. But on the other hand, I had one of the best days of my life (with the birth of his son Phoenix).'' He could leave Riviera this week with four more of his best days. NISSAN OPEN Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades When: Today through Sunday Purse: $3.4 million, $612,000 to winner Today's TV: USA, 1-3 p.m. NISSAN OPEN AT A GLANCE Defending champ: Kirk Triplett TV: USA (today-Friday), 1-3 p.m.; CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.) Tickets: $20 daily, $60 season (877-614-6245 or 800-752-6736) Parking: Shuttle service from Veterans Administration Hospital (Santa Monica Freeway The Santa Monica Freeway is the westernmost segment of Interstate 10, beginning at the western terminus of I-10 at the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California and ending southeast of downtown Los Angeles at the famous East Los Angeles Interchange. west from San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405, and the part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y[1]) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. to Sawtelle Boulevard, right on Sawtelle and enter VAH parking lot at Ohio St. entrance) CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Sweden's Jesper Parnevik - donning pink pants - nearly won last year's Nissan Open and is considered a favorite this year. Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press Box: NISSAN OPEN AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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