LOS ANGELES OPEN : Couples Is Peoples' Choice at Riviera : Golf: His 10-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole beats Davis Love III for title.

By MAL FLORENCE

March 2, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Fred Couples is a crowd favorite at the Riviera Country Club, and there was reason to cheer him Sunday.

He won the Nissan Los Angeles Open for the second time in three years by beating Davis Love III with a birdie putt on the second playoff hole.

Love said it doesn’t bother him that the crowd supports Couples, but he was irritated that fans were pulling against him at times.

“Freddie is a great friend of mine, and I’m happy for him that people like him that much,” Love said. “He’s super-popular and super-talented. But it’s upsetting that people would come to a tournament to pull against me.”

Love said that the crowd would say, “Miss it, miss it.”

“I think in the last five years the fans have gotten a little rowdy, even at Augusta (at the Masters),” Love said. “I’m not mad about it, just disappointed (with the crowd).”

Couples didn’t sense that the crowd was harassing Love.

“I think the fans were more for me than anyone, but I didn’t believe they were against him,” Couples said. “I don’t think the fans were discourteous. I just think they were having a good time. Riviera is my favorite course, and that makes me play better. I just enjoy coming here. I just wish I could feel this way at other places.”

Couples, who had a one-stroke lead over Love, Sandy Lyle and Tom Sieckmann going into the final round, shot a one-under-par 70 for the final 18 holes of regulation play. Love shot a 69 to force a playoff. They were at 15-under-par 269 for the tournament.

The playoff began at the par-four, 311-yard 10th hole. Both had decent tee shots, and Couples hit a sand wedge to within six feet of the cup. Love’s second shot landed 18 inches from the cup.

Couples made his birdie putt, and Love matched it.

Then, the playoff moved to the par-three, 180-yard 14th hole, where Couples hit a six-iron to within 10 feet of the cup.

Love’s tee shot was on the fringe of the green. He estimated that he was 35 to 40 feet from the hole.

“I figured I had to give it a chance, and I wasn’t going to lag it,” Love said of his putt.

Love’s putt was too fast, hitting the cup and going about 12 feet past. Then, Couples, the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1991, drained his birdie putt for the seventh victory of his career.

“I was pretty relaxed because I knew he would have to make his putt to tie me,” Couples said.

Couples earned $180,000, and Love got a second-place check worth $108,000.

Jay Haas, who was six strokes behind Couples at the outset of the round, shot a 65 to tie for third--one shot behind--with Japan’s Yoshinori Kaneko, who also had a 65.

Couples got off to an unnerving start on the first hole, a relatively easy 501-yard par five, when he hit his tee shot out of bounds. He wound up with a double bogey.

“But I birdied the second hole, which obviously helped,” Couples said. “I felt like I concentrated well today. But I wasn’t relaxed as I have been, because I had taken some time off before the Buick tournament last week.”

It could have unraveled for Couples on the first hole.

“You just can’t believe that you can do that,” he said. “It wasn’t much fun walking down (the fairway), especially when I hit my next shot in the trees. To make a seven there is a letdown.”

The Los Angeles Open became a two-man shootout over the last five holes, with Couples and Love tied for the lead.

Some of Couples’ peers said a few years ago that he is an immense talent who should have won more tournaments.

However, he is only 32, with his best years apparently ahead.

The next level is to win a major tournament: the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or British Open.

“I’m looking forward to Augusta,” Couples said. “I enjoy those (types of) tournaments. In the past I haven’t always prepared for them. But now I’m going to take a week off before I play them.”

Golf Notes

Fred Couples improved his playoff record to 3-2, and Davis Love III is 0-3. “I’m not a big fan of playoffs,” Love said. It was the ninth playoff in the 66-year history of the tournament. . . . Sunday’s attendance on an overcast day was 52,200. Attendance for the four days of the tournament was 163,115, just missing the record of 163,550 set last year.

Scores

The top final 72-hole totals of the Los Angeles Open at Rivera Country Club (par 71).

*Fred Couples: 68-67-64-70--269

Davis Love III: 67-63-70-69--269

Jay Haas: 67-69-69-65--270

Yoshinori Kaneko: 69-69-67-65--270

Rocco Mediate: 67-68-66-70--271

Sandy Lyle: 67-67-66-72--272

Doug Martin: 68-68-69-68--273

John Daly: 68-70-70-66--274

Steve Elkington: 70-70-68-66--274

Scott Simpson: 70-67-70-67--274