As the PGA Tour descends upon Pacific Palisades, a suburb of Los Angeles, for the 86th playing of the Northern Trust Open, it's always a worthwhile to take a small look back at the storied, and unique, history of Riviera Country Club, one of the true classics of United States golf.
The course opened in 1926, then named Los Angeles Athletic Golf Course, having been designed by George C. Thomas, Jr, under the watchful eye of Dr. Alister MacKenzie, arguably the most esteemed course architect in history, having designed Augusta National, Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne, amongst other classics. With such names giving birth to it, Riviera was destined for greatness, and a fabled place in golfing folklore.
Through the Los Angeles Open, with its inaugural winner being Harry Cooper, a man who won 31 times on the PGA Tour, the LA Open quickly found its place in the game. Having played host the tournament in 1929, and 1930, Riviera found itself as one of the, many, host courses of the LA Open. Throughout the 30s and 40s, many of the greatest names in American golf won the tournament; Denny Shute, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and, of course, Ben Hogan. During the televised coverage of the Northern Trust, you will frequently hear the course labelled as "Hogan's Alley." Ben Hogan won the LA Open on three occasions during the 1940s, and would win his first U.S. Open, here, in 1948.
1948 U.S. Open
In what would become one of the most memorable, and iconic, major championships of the mid-20th century, Ben Hogan produced a tremendous, record-breaking, performance to hold off Jimmy Demaret. Trailing Sam Snead by one-shot entering the final 36-holes, then played on a Saturday, Hogan shot 68-69 to pull clear of Demaret, who had actually matched Hogan's final 36-hole, to win by two shots. Hogan's victory set a U.S. Open precedent, as he became the first player to have shot three rounds in the 60s, and also broke the Open scoring-record by an astonishing five shots. That record would remain intact, until Jack Nicklaus bettered it by one stroke, in 1967, with a total of 275, at Baltusrol.
With Riviera now engrained in the fabric of the professional game, the winners of the Los Angeles Open continued to consist of an impressive list; Lloyd Mangrum, Doug Ford, Gene Littler, Ken Venturi, Arnold Palmer, and Billy Casper, all claimed the title in the 50s and 60s. The tournament would move to Riviera full-time from 1973, and as time progressed into the 1980s, when Tom Watson won the tournament twice, attention turned to returning major championship competition to the course.
1983 PGA Championship
At the age of 25, Hal Sutton won his solitary Major, after holding off a dramatic charge from Jack Nicklaus. Sutton had pulled clear of the field, after 36-holes, following rounds of 65-66, but the final two rounds would prove to not be as comfortable. A level-par final round of 71, was just enough for Sutton, as he finished one stroke clear of Nicklaus, who shot a stunning final-round of 66, as he sought a sixth PGA Championship. This was Nicklaus's 19th, and final, runner-up finish in a major championship. Nicklaus never won at Riviera Country Club.
As the LA Open entered the 1990s, its list of winners remained impressive; Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler, Nick Faldo, and Ernie Els, all won during this decade, so it was befitting that Riveria would again stage one of golf's grand slam championships.
1995 PGA Championship
Having led after 54-holes, following stunning rounds of 66-65-66, Ernie Els fell away on Sunday, and was overtaken by Australian Steve Elkington, and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie. Elk and Monty found themselves in a sudden-death playoff to determine the fate of the Wanamaker Trophy, after final-rounds of 64 and 65 respectively. The players took to Riviera's iconic 18th, and Montgomerie found himself in perfect position, sitting closest to the pin, after his approach shot. Elkington was on the green, but some distance away, too far to realistically make the putt. Or so we, and Montgomerie thought. Elkington sunk his 20-foot putt for birdie, to stun Montgomerie, and claim the victory.
Riviera would stage major championship golf once more, in 1998, as Hale Irwin, himself a former winner of the LA Open, claimed the U.S. Senior Open.
In 2013, as always, an impressive field will contest the Northern Trust Open. 25 of the Worlds Top 50 ranked players are in the field, including; Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Keegan Bradley, Fred Couples, Dustin Johnson, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, and Lee Westwood. At a venue, which Katharine Hepburn, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin, have all filmed movies at, these, and other, players, will be hoping to create their own moment of cinematic magic, and write their own chapter in the history of Riviera Country Club.