The PGA Tour goes to Riviera Country Club for the Northern Trust Open on the last stop of the west coast swing before heading to Florida next week for the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Riviera is one of the most famous golf courses in the country if not the world. Ben Hogan won three times in an 18 month span, winning two LA Opens and the 1948 U.S. Open, which earned Riviera the nickname “Hogan’s Alley.” Riviera has hosted the 1948 U.S. Open and the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships. Hal Sutton won the ’83 PGA and Steve Elkington won the ’95 PGA.

The course was designed by George C. Thomas, a famed golf course architect, and opened in 1926. The greens are bent grass and the fairways are Kikuya grass.

The defending champion is James Hahn, who won in a playoff over Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey last year.

7,279 yards, Par 71

Key holes:

No.1

A 503 yard par 5. Players launch their tee shots into the Santa Monica Valley 70 feet below the tee box. It’s the most birdieable hole on the course if the player hits a good drive and a good long iron on his second shot.

No.4

A 236 yard par 3, which Hogan called the “best par 3 in America.” It’s a difficult par 3 that often requires anywhere from a three iron to a three wood, depending on the wind. The green slopes severely from right to left and is guarded by a large bunker in front. The average score on this hole in 2015 was 3.20.

N0.10

An exciting 315 yard, par 4. Johnson and Hahn hit their tee shots to the left of the green into the Kikuya grass rough in the second playoff hole last year. It is  thick and tough to get a full club on with a chip shot. Casey hit his second shot to about 15 feet, Hahn put his second about 12 feet and Johnson hit it four feet. Casey missed, Hahn and Johnson sank their putts and they moved on to the Par 3 14th, where Hahn sank a beauty from 20 feet for birdie and Johnson missed his 15 footer, as Hahn captured the title.

No.18

A tough 475 yard par 4 and one of the most famous finishing holes in golf. It starts with a blind tee shot to an elevated fairway, then requires a long approach to a green that is narrow in front then widens out. It’s a natural amphitheater. The second shot is tough and cost Sergio Garcia a shot at the playoff. Sergio had a one shot lead entering 17 last year and went bogey-bogey to fall out of the playoff. Average score last year 4.12.

Weather: Looks good. Sunny, wind 7-9 MPH all four days. Will be a factor on some of the holes.

TV: 

Today-Friday: Golf Channel 4 PM-7 PM CT/5 PM-8 PM ET

Saturday: Golf Channel 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET; CBS 2-5 PM CT/3-6 PM ET

Sunday: Golf: 12-1:30 PM CT/1-2:30 PM ET; CBS 2-5:30 PM CT/3-6:30 PM ET.

Last week @ Pebble Beach

Vaughn Taylor shot a final round 66 and sank a beautiful 16 footer on No. 16, while Phil, who birdied 17 from 18 feet to cut the lead to one, hit it five feet on 18 for birdie and looked like a cinch to make the playoff. He read his putt on the left lip and missed it as it was an inside left putt. That’s a putt Phil makes nine out of 10 times and probably five out of 10 times with his eyes closed. The 39 year old Taylor won for the first time since winning the Reno-Tahoe Open in August of 2005. He went back to back at the Reno-Tahoe as he also won there in 2004. Those are his only three PGA victories.

This year’s White’s World record: five of six cuts made

Best finish: Patrick Reed, second at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to winner Jordan Spieth.

Last week: picked Bubba. He made the cut, but MFD’d, which is made the cut, but couldn’t finish as the PGA wants to keep the field as tight as possible on the final day.

Who I like to win the Northern Trust

This phenom missed a five foot putt for par on the 18th at Riviera last year which would have gotten him into the playoff. He won the national championship as a college player for Texas in 2012. He’s leading the tour in Par 4 scoring at 3.4o, which is tied with Sergio for number one. He leads the tour in strokes gained putting. He’s already won this season in Hawaii at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

I’ve just got to go with my horse again. He won for me three times last year, at the Valspar Championship in Tampa, @ Augusta National and @ the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. I expect another huge year from the 22 year old from Dallas. He finished T-5th  at Abu Dhabi, second at the Signapore Open, and tied 21st at Pebble last week with a final round 66. The gunslinger from Dallas gets it done again.

 Spieth