A scenic view of the ninth hole at Riviera Country Club, host of the Northern Trust Open.
Feb. 13, 2012
The TOUR moves from Pebble Beach on to Los Angeles for the Northern Trust Open at historic Riviera CC.
| Fast facts |
| Course Superintendent |
Matthew A. Morton |
| Original architect |
Captain George C. Thomas (1926) |
| Redesign |
Tom Fazio (2008) |
| Par value |
71 |
| Number of TOUR events as host venue |
48 (including 2012) |
| Course ranking |
Ranked 10 (out of 51) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2011 |
| Yardage history |
7,029 (1941-1993) |
| |
6,946 (1994-1997) |
| |
6,953 (1999) |
| |
7,055 (2000-2001) |
| |
7,174 (2002) |
| |
7,222 (2003-2004) |
| |
7,260 (2005-2006) |
| |
7,279 (2007-2008; 2010-present) |
| |
7,298 yards (2009) |
| Grass |
Bermudagrass, perennial ryegrass (tees); Kikuyugrass (rough, fairways); Creeping bentgrass, Poa annua (greens) |
| Tournament Stimpmeter |
12 ft |
| Sand bunkers |
60 |
| Water hazards |
0 |
| Course tour |
Click here |
|
| Course record |
|
Player
Ted Tryba |
Year
1999 |
Round
3rd |
Finish
T2 |
|
| Holes-in-one |
| Dustin Johnson |
6 |
2010 |
| Jeff Quinney |
6 |
2008 |
| Retief Goosen |
16 |
2007 |
| Rich Beem |
14 |
2007 |
| Trevor Immelman |
16 |
2006 |
| Darren Clarke |
6 |
2005 |
| Carl Pettersson |
14 |
2004 |
| MattGogel |
16 |
2003 |
| Craig Stadler |
6 |
2000 |
| Bob Burns |
16 |
1999 |
| Jerry Kelly |
6 |
1999 |
| Glen Day |
14 |
1996 |
| Joel Edwards |
6 |
1996 |
| Patrick Burke |
6 |
1996 |
| Craig Stadler |
6 |
1995 |
| Peter Jacobsen |
14 |
1994 |
| Jay Delsing |
6 |
1992 |
| Doug Martin |
4 |
1992 |
| Ed Dougherty |
16 |
1992 |
| Ben Crenshaw |
14 |
1991 |
| Jim Benepe |
6 |
1989 |
| Donnie Hammond |
4 |
1988 |
| Jeff Lewis |
4 |
1987 |
| T.C. Chen |
6 |
1987 |
| Peter Jacobsen |
6 |
1986 |
| Mac O'Grady |
6 |
1986 |
| Mike Reid |
6 |
1985 |
| Payne Stewart |
16 |
1985 |
| Mike Donald |
16 |
1985 |
| Allen Miller |
16 |
1984 |
|
| 2011 Rankings |
| Most Difficult Hole |
 |
The par-4 479-yard 12th"This now becomes one of toughest holes on the course because it is obviously more difficult to play a longer iron into this narrow green guarded on right by a deep bunker and on the left by Bogey's tree, which is named after Humphrey Bogart," -- Riviera Head Professional and Director of Golf Todd Yoshitake.
2011: 0 eagles, 30 birdies, 254 pars, 134 bogeys, 15 double bogeys, 3 others. |
| Easiest hole |
 |
The par-5 503-yard 1st A great starting hole, the tee rests 75 feet above the fairway. With a big tee shot, players can set themselves up for a birdie or possible eagle. With out of bounds left and trees right, an errant tee shot could spell trouble.
2011: 40 eagles, 258 birdies, 124 pars, 11 bogeys, 3 double bogeys and 0 others. |
|
|
| Riviera Country Club |
2011 rankings | Last 29 years |
| 1 |
5 |
503 |
4.264 |
18 |
4.480 |
18 |
| 2 |
4 |
463 |
4.188 |
5 |
4.269 |
1 |
| 3 |
4 |
434 |
3.956 |
14 |
4.080 |
8 |
| 4 |
3 |
236 |
3.211 |
4 |
3.239 |
2 |
| 5 |
4 |
434 |
4.025 |
11 |
4.059 |
10 |
| 6 |
3 |
199 |
3.041 |
10 |
3.028 |
12 |
| 7 |
4 |
408 |
4.062 |
9 |
4.056 |
11 |
| 8 |
4 |
460 |
4.179 |
7 |
4.072 |
9 |
| 9 |
4 |
458 |
4.138 |
8 |
4.184 |
5 |
| 10 |
4 |
315 |
4.025 |
11 |
3.858 |
16 |
| 11 |
5 |
583 |
4.865 |
17 |
4.806 |
17 |
| 12 |
4 |
479 |
4.33 |
1 |
4.162 |
6 |
| 13 |
4 |
459 |
4.181 |
6 |
4.082 |
7 |
| 14 |
3 |
176 |
3.011 |
13 |
3.016 |
13 |
| 15 |
4 |
487 |
4.218 |
3 |
4.219 |
4 |
| 16 |
3 |
166 |
2.945 |
15 |
3.009 |
14 |
| 17 |
5 |
590 |
4.876 |
16 |
4.860 |
15 |
| 18 |
4 |
475 |
4.317 |
2 |
4.237 |
3 |
|
| Course origins |
| The annual site of the Northern Trust Open is a gem designed by George Thomas, a Philadelphian who loved flowers and was engaged in a search for the perfect rose when directors of the Los Angeles Athletic Club invited him to design a course for them. Thomas had by then moved to Beverly Hills, had designed the highly-regarded North course of the Los Angeles Country Club and now set to work on Riviera. |
| The course is a beauty and a must-study for every serious student of course design. Thomas' bunkering is inventive, with their flashed far ends and their ragged look. The course plays in a bowl in the Santa Monica Valley and rises to a crescendo on the last hole, underneath the massive clubhouse that sits on the high point of the club. Riviera is probably one of the most interesting courses in the game when it comes to forcing a player to think his way around the bunkers and doglegs, along the angled approaches into the greens. |
| "George Thomas was very talented," said Ben Crenshaw, who was called in to return the greens to their original contours. "Riviera has so many fabulous things about it. The bunkering is wonderful, very bold. They have a grand scope about them, and there is also every conceivable type of hole. The course is so wellbalanced and requires you to work the ball so well." |
| Riviera Country Club has hosted the 1948 U.S. Open, the 1983 & 1995 PGA Championship and the 1998 U.S. Senior Open. |
|
| Tournament course history |
| Riviera CC |
Pacific Palisades, Calf. |
1999-present, 1984-1997, 1973-1982, 1945-1953, 1941 |
| Valencia CC |
Valencia, Calif. |
1998 |
| Rancho Municipal GC |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
1983, 1969-1972, 1956-1967 |
| Brookside GC |
Pasadena, Calif. |
1968 |
| Inglewood CC |
Inglewood, Calif. |
1955 |
| Fox Hills CC |
Culver City, Calif. |
1954 |
| Wilshire CC |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
1944 |
| Hillcrest CC |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
1943 |
| Los Angeles CC (North) |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
1940 |
|
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