On the Bag: Northern Trust Open at Riviera CC

The strong field this week reflects the strength of the course. Riviera, one of George Thomas' greatest creations, is in everyone's top five courses on the PGA Tour. The sign of a good course to me is how well one remembers the holes.

If you play a mediocre track, many holes go unnoticed.  At Riviera, you pick a number for player or caddy and they will immediately draw the perfect picture of that hole. Eighteen is - bar none - the best inland finishing hole. The variety of holes challenges every club in the bag while creating decisions which dare the mind.

Tom Fazio's 2008 redesign lengthen the course a bit making it just over 7,200 yards - still short by Tour standards. The heavy air blowing off the Pacific makes the course play much longer, though. The eucalyptus-tinged breezes knock down shots, and balls don't bounce when they land on the brushed kikuyugrass fronting the greens. The course has a unique collection of par threes, including number six which has a bunker in the middle of the green. The gently bending tight fairways and the spongy poanua greens will keep scores fairly low this week. A couple under every day will find you in the hunt Sunday.

For more info from Mark about this week's Tour stop, check out after the jump.

For as much as I love that course tucked in the hills of Pacific Palisades, the tournament has the worst parking on Tour and the steepest walk to the range. The clubhouse is perched high on the hill and it's many a caddies' goal to only traverse the incline once a day. If you start on the first tee next to the clubhouse, we try forecaddying from the practice tee across the second hole into the first fairway. The trick is getting an extra ball in your man's hand without implying he needs a provisional for O.B. left of the fairway.

My line was always, "Hey man, here's another ball with a different number in case someone is playing the same one up there."

Only one pro ever uttered, "Or, in case I whip it out of bounds and you don't have to run back up the hill."

Many caddies have snuck off without giving their man a ball and were next seen jogging back up the hill. It's not a good way to start the round, the first hole is the easiest and you expect a birdie.

The champions wall here reads like a Hall of Fame roster, and to win they usually have to battle the weather along with the course. It's Hogan's first alley and all the big boys except Jack have won, here but don't expect Phil to threepeat. McCarron's locker is close by and he's wielding that long putter. (Didn't players voice cheating years ago when the broomstick was allowed?)

Watching golf last week seemed a bit like NASCAR with the fighting going on in the pits. Without Tiger, and players laying up on eighteen when they have a chance to win, the Tour has to create some excitement. If the groove controversy, Phil and McCarron's flap, and other player reactions are going to take the place of good golf, I'm out of here. Golf has always been about golf and the entertainment is between the ropes. Let's hope the PGA Tour isn't following the other sports leads trying to manufacture any type of publicity just to draw a crowd.

Look out for the experienced player this week.  Not too many youngsters win this event because they haven't learned Riviera's nuances. The nooks and crannies should be avoided at all cost.  "Bomb and find"  doesn't work withing these eucalyptus-lined fairways.

Michael Allen played well last week so I'm going with another old guy this week: Fred Couples. A two-time champion with 25 out of 27 cuts made who loves the L.A. area, especially Pink's Hot Dog Stand in Hollywood.

Watch out for Kenny Perry if he shakes off the jet lag from last week visiting the Middle East.

My other old guy pick is Scott McCarron. He has a good track record at Riviera and when he gets feisty he gets dangerous, plus he grew up around here attending UCLA.