A hole-by-hole look at the course at Riviera Country Club

2015 Northern Trust Open

Here’s a look at the 18 holes of Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, and the players’ average score per hole at last year’s tournament. Riviera has hosted PGA Tour stops since 1926. Riviera is a tough layout; par is 71 and the pros’ average round last year was 71.2. Bubba Watson is the defending champion.

No. 1 – Par 5, 503 yards: A good hole for a fast start. With the tee 75 feet above the fairway, a long drive can set up for a birdie or eagle. But there’s out-of-bounds on the left and trees on the right. 2014 average score: 4.26

No. 2 – Par 4, 471 yards: One of the course’s most demanding holes. A slight dogleg right with out-of-bounds left and trees on the right requires a long yet straight tee shot, and the approach faces a heavily bunkered green. 2014 average score: 4.14

No. 3 – Par 4, 434 yards: Another slight dogleg right where players often must shoot straight into the wind. A slight fade off the tee sets up the second shot that faces a large bunker in front of the green. 2014 average score: 3.91

No. 4 – Par 3, 236 yards: A difficult par-three 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. 2014 average score: 3.20

No. 5 – Par 4, 434 yards: A modest dogleg left that also heads into the wind, yet a slight fade off the tee often is preferred to set up the approach. 2014 average score: 4.04

No. 6 – Par 3, 199 yards: A signature hole at Riviera that features a bunker in the middle of the green. Land on the wrong side of the bunker and a player must chip over it or putt around it. 2014 average score: 2.95

No. 7 – Par 4, 408 yards: Not a long hole but a treacherous one. A hump in the preferred fairway landing area off the tee could send the ball either into a bunker or out of bounds. 2014 average score: 4.05

No. 8 – Par 4, 460 yards: A unique hole with split fairways, a tee shot to the left leaves a middle iron to the narrow green while one down the right side leaves a shorter shot to the green but one that must carry a barranca. 2014 average score: 4.11

No. 9 – Par 4, 458 yards: Straight back toward the clubhouse, this hole features fairway bunkers that can come into play when teeing off and two bunkers guard the right front of the green. 2014 average score: 4.14

No. 10 – Par 4, 315 yards: Riviera calls this a classic risk/reward hole because it challenges players to try to hit their drives all the way to the narrow green nearly surrounded by bunkers or lay up on the left side of the fairway. 2014 average score: 4.03

No. 11 – Par 5, 583 yards: Two well-placed shots set up an easy pitch for a possible birdie but a wayward tee shot means either laying up in front of a barranca or trying to go over it. 2014 average score: 4.68

No. 12 – Par 4, 479 yards: A lengthy par-four that often requires an approach with a long iron that has to hit a narrow green guarded on the right by a deep bunker. 2014 average score: 4.37

No. 13 – Par 4, 459 yards: A slight dogleg to the left and into the wind, this hole requires an accurate tee shot because there’s a barranca on the left and trees on both sides of the fairway. 2014 average score: 4.11

No. 14 – Par 3, 192 yards: This hole’s wide green often makes the flag stick appear closer than it actually is, and there are three large and deep bunkers in front of the elevated green. 2014 average score: 3.09

No. 15 – Par 4, 487 yards: The last of the back nine’s into-the-wind par fours, it’s a sharp dogleg right that rewards a long, well-played tee shot but challenges big hitters to cut the right corner to shorten their approach. 2014 average score: 4.24

No. 16 – Par 3, 166 yards: A small green but any shot landing there provides a realistic birdie opportunity. But several steep-faced bunkers guard the entire green. 2014 average score: 3.00

No. 17 – Par 5, 590 yards: The longest hole on the course, two well-played shots set up an approach to a two-tiered green that slopes from back to front, making downhill putts treacherous. 2014 average score: 4.78

No. 18 – Par 4, 475 yards: One of most famous finishing holes in golf, it starts with a blind tee shot to an elevated fairway, then requires a long approach to a kidney-shaped green below the clubhouse in a natural amphitheater. 2014 average score: 4.12