Tournament Preview: The 2013 Northern Trust Open

Practice begins at Riviera Country Club. Photo by @pga_tour

Riviera Country Club is the home of last year’s exciting 3-way playoff between Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley, and Bill Haas.  Hass ultimately won the shootout with a birdie on the 2^nd playoff hole.  Riviera is also the home of Phil Mickelson’s back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2009.

Riviera’s proximity-to-the-hole measurement of 41’1″ was the longest on TOUR all of last year.  It was also the longest Riviera has averaged since 2003.  The course ranked second out of a total of eleven par 71s in scoring average, but the track certainly presents its challenges, indicated by its 2012 average score of 72.622 (Rivera’s highest since 1996).

Riviera Country Club measures 7,349 yards and plays as a par 71 with course rating of 74.3 and a slope rating of 139 on Kikuyu grass.  Course designer George Thomas contemplated over a dozen possible layouts before deciding on one that remains among the best at keeping players focused on every single shot.  The par-3 sixth hole is famous for its bunker in the middle of the green, and No. 10 is said to be the most drivable par-4 in the game.  The current course record is 61; held by Ted Tryba, who notched this score after losing the (formally known as) Nissan Open here to Ernie Els in the final round in 1999.

Although challenging, players can still score nicely at Riviera, as the par 5’s seem to offer the best chances to come in under par.  The 503-yard first hole has served as the easiest or second-easiest opener of any PGA TOUR course in quite some time.

No rain is forecasted and temperatures are expected to remain in the 70s with sunny skies for the majority of the tournament.  Wind could however become a factor at times.

Want to hear more about Golficity’s predictions on who will win the Northern Trust Open? Just visit our Fantasy Golf Predictions page to get the inside scoop about this exciting event.

Golficity’s Pick: Charl Schwartzel

(Cover Photo Credit)