RIVIERA TRUSTING IN CHANGE.

Byline: JILL PAINTER

GOLF

The Northern Trust Open isn't just a new name in town.

The PGA event, formerly known as the Nissan Open, expects to continue showcasing a premier tournament at Riviera Country Club. Only with plenty more bells and whistles.

Old habits are hard to break, and tournament director Tom Pulchinski still stumbles over the new title.

The changes just went into effect Monday, and Pulchinski had presided over the Nissan Open for 16 years, so that's understandable.

Nissan was the title sponsor for 19 years, so it will take some getting used to for Pulchinski, officials, players and fans.

Change is usually a good thing, once people get over the initial fear and wriggle themselves out of their routine.

"We have a great tournament, don't get me wrong," Pulchinski said Tuesday. "We have a fantastic field and a great place to play, but you can always upgrade. I think every once in a while, you have to re-evaluate what you're doing and refocus. It was a good time to do it when Nissan decided to move in a different direction relative to their marketing. I think every company does that from time to time.

"It doesn't mean you were doing things wrong, you just get a new perspective every once in a while."

Let the changes begin.

For starters, every player will have access to a car for the week of the tournament, which in 2008 will be held Feb. 14-17.

Ironically, when Nissan was the title sponsor, not every player got a Nissan. Next year, Nissan will continue to provide cars. (The tournament will not spring for Phil Mickelson's private jet from San Diego to Santa Monica if he decides to return).

The caddies will receive better food, Pulchinski said.

Organizers are also looking for ways to entertain players' families.

They'll provide players with the ability to get their dry cleaning done or have packages sent.

"It may seem like those are small things, but on the whole those are important," Pulchinski said.

Many such things are on the to-do list. Of course, the most important order of business is to bring Tiger Woods back. Woods has played the event 13 times but didn't play last year. It was a great field, as the Nissan had everyone but Tiger (including Mickelson, who doesn't usually play here).

Woods has never won the tournament (two appearances were as an amateur), and Pulchinski hopes the trophy chase is one of many draws for Tiger.

"It's always important to have Tiger play," Pulchinski said. "Every tournament wants to have Tiger play. We have the advantage of having a great facility, the advantage of being basically Tiger's hometown and the advantage of having a great field. Tiger wants to beat great fields.

"And we have great tradition. If you look at the great champions, I'm sure Tiger wants to have this trophy in his trophy case. Neither Arnold Palmer nor Jack Nicklaus won this tournament when it was at Riviera. Arnold Palmer won at Ranco Park. But when you get to Tiger's level, you want to win big tournaments, majors, and win your hometown tournament."

Pulchinski said he knows Greg McLaughlin, who's the president of the Tiger Woods Foundation and former Nissan Open tournament director. It was McLaughlin who gave Woods his first sponsor's exemption at Riviera.

He hasn't tried to put a bug in his ear yet.

"He's busy with the Target World Challenge," Pulchinski said of McLaughlin. "They're very familiar with the tournament. He knows the Northern Trust Open is on the map."

Armed with a new logo and a new Web site on the way, Pulchinski must put together an organizing campaign to alert golf fans that the Northern Trust Open is a PGA event.

With sponsors and tournaments changing names and cities at will, that's a must. If you didn't know, you might think it was a Champions Tour or Nationwide Tour event because the name isn't familiar to golf fans yet.

"You know what? We want to set a higher standard all the way across the board," Pulchinski said. "We're making a commitment to keep this tournament not at levels that are good but that are great."

The tournament, one of the longest-tenured on the PGA, should look a little different come February. That should be a good thing, even if it takes a while to get used to the new name.

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Tiger drinking up Gatorade deal

Just when you think Tiger Woods has done it all, he engineers another first.

Woods signed a deal with Gatorade to become the first athlete to have an athlete-licensing deal with the sports-drink company, it was announced on his Web site Tuesday. The "Gatorade Tiger" drink will be the first Tiger-inspired sports performance beverage and is expected to be unveiled in March. Gatorade is expected to launch other Woods beverages in the future.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Golfweek has reported that it will be for fiveyears for nearly $100 million.

"Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I'm training or competing, so this is an ideal match," Woods said in a statement on his Web site. "I'm eager to launch my first signature product in a few months and look forward to developing additional sports performance beverages with Gatorade in the coming years."

This will be Woods' first time endorsing a sports beverage. He joins Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning and other stars who have promoted Gatorade over the years.

"This relationship is built on The Gatorade Company's unparalleled level of understanding of athlete needs and Tiger's unique position as one of the world's best athletes," Todd Magazine, president of Gatorade, said in a statement. "By bringing these two leaders together, we feel we have an unprecedented opportunity to provide both Tiger and athletes of all levels the products they need to train and compete at their best."

Woods had a hand in picking the flavors for the new drinks, which are cherry blend, citrus blend and grape.

Tiger's drink will be made from sweat and tears -- or at least sweat research. Tiger underwent in-depth scientific sweat testing, which was designed to cater to his own specialized hydration and nutrition strategies.

Woods has won 81 tournaments, including 61 on the PGA Tour. He won seven tournaments last season and the inaugural FedEx Cup.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) The PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, formerly known as the Nissan Open, has a new title sponsor this year, Northern Trust Corp.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

(2) TIGER WOODS

Box:

(1) THIS WEEK

(2) Etc.