The L.A. Open : The Spotlight : ONE-WEEK WONDER

The Kingsmen had “Louie Louie.” The Monotones had “The Book of Love.” Debby Boone had “You Light Up My Life.” They became has-beens almost before their one big hits disappeared from the pop charts.

Pat Fitzsimons? He had Riviera in 1975. Fitzsimons came out of nowhere to win the L.A. Open, then made the return trip to oblivion.

About his only claim to golfing fame had come as a 19-year-old playing in the 1970 U.S. Open at Hazeltine. He shot a 49 (which he said was actually closer to a 55) on the front nine, picked up and quit.

His first two seasons on the tour, he was 118th and 143rd on the money list. In 1974, he quit for two months because he was broke.

Fitzsimons, then 24, had failed to qualify or make the cut in the first four tournaments in ’75 before getting top-10 finishes in the two California events leading to L.A.

Then at Riviera, he shot a course-record 64 on Saturday, going seven under par on holes six through 12, and played steadily Sunday to beat Tom Kite by four strokes and Jack Nicklaus by five.

“I can’t believe it,” Fitzsimons said afterward. “I know that’s what everybody says, but I really can’t believe it.”

Fitzsimons’ euphoria didn’t last. Largely because of the $30,000 he had won in the L.A. Open, he finished 20th on the money list in 1975 with more than $86,000. But after that, he virtually disappeared, never winning as much as $20,000 in one year.

MURRAY’S ALLEY

Times sports columnist Jim Murray, a member at Riviera since 1954, has long written about his deep affection for the course. Jack Nicklaus, who has never won at Riviera, is a little less laudatory. During the 1983 PGA Championship at Riviera, in which Nicklaus finished second to Hal Sutton, the Golden Bear grudgingly said: “It is a great course, but not as great as Murray says it is.” Murray’s response after recalling Nicklaus’ comment: “It is so.”

WASHOUT

Jerry Barber was on his way to his first tournament victory in 1950 before heavy rain washed away his chances. Barber, who had joined the tour in 1948, slogged through the rain and was in the clubhouse with a 10-shot lead after the third round at Riviera. With several greens at least partially under with water, many players had asked for cancellation of the round, to no avail. But Ben Hogan, making his return to competitive golf after his near-fatal automobile accident in 1949, took matters into his own hands. Hogan staged a one-man sit-in and refused to cross the bridge over the torrent rushing through the barranca on No. 11, waiting for the siren to signal postponement of play. When the siren finally sounded, the day’s totals were wiped out and scores reverted to the second round. Barber finished the tournament eight shots back. Sam Snead, with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18, forced an 18-hole playoff with Hogan and won the playoff, a week later, by four shots.

IT ISN’T ALWAYS SUNNY

That Southern California image. Snowbound Easterners annually form their own ideas of life on the Left Coast by watching the Rose Bowl game every Jan. 1. They see 100,000 fans in shirt sleeves and figure Californians’ idea of extra protection against the midwinter elements is to toss on another layer of Coppertone.

The L.A. Open usually enjoys that mild sunshine, the 1950 tournament notwithstanding, but it has had its share of rain and wind.

Gusty winds in 1984 left only three players under par after two rounds and a cutoff of nine-over par 151. Byron Ferguson, a PGA statistician, said of the cut figure: “We’ve had higher, but I can’t remember when.”

During the second round in 1982, only two players broke par because of gusty, cold winds. Tom Weiskopf and Jack Nicklaus shot 75. Arnold Palmer had a 78, Sam Snead an 82 and Lionel Hebert an 87. Even putts were affected by the wind. Palmer four-putted No. 9 from 15 feet. Nicklaus, who began play at 8 a.m. wearing three sweaters, said: “It was worse than playing in the British Open.”

In 1930, longshot Denny Shute survived the field and some of the heaviest rains in a quarter century and won going away on a muddy track. Rain, hail and flooding jeopardized the start of the tournament. Two-time defending champion MacDonald Smith shot a 77 in the opening round, Walter Hagen an 81. Only two rounds during the tournament were at par or better, and Shute’s were not among them. His 296, which won by four strokes, is nine strokes higher than any other winning total.

BEN’S CLOSEST CALL

Perhaps no golfer has the kind of love-hate relationship with Riviera that Ben Crenshaw does. Crenshaw, a devotee of traditional layouts as opposed to the sculpted man-made versions that are so popular in the desert, says there is no finer course on the tour than Riviera. But despite playing in the L.A. Open every year since 1974, he hasn’t won here.

In 1987, he came the closest. He made an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 18 and was ready to celebrate, but T.C. Chen followed that with a 16-footer for birdie that sent the two into a playoff. Crenshaw, who had not had a bogey in the previous 36 holes, missed a four-foot par putt on the first extra hole to give Chen his first tour victory. It gave Crenshaw, one of the game’s most popular players, an 0-6 record in playoffs.

NICE THOUGHT

After Andrew Magee shot a tournament-record 28 on the front nine of the first round of the 1991 L.A. Open, a man from the gallery shouted: “Fifty-eight.”

He was urging Magee to break the tour record of 59 for 18 holes, set by Al Geiberger in 1977. Magee heard him, began to think about it, and shot a 38 on the back nine.

SCALING THE WALL

In 1959 L.A. Open at Rancho Park, Ken Venturi trailed Art Wall by eight strokes going into the final round.

Venturi, now a golf television analyst, made up ground in a hurry. He shot 30 on the front nine and finished with a 63 to beat Wall and win the tournament by two shots.

RETOOLING

In one of Riviera’s most comprehensive renovations since the course opened in 1927, all 18 greens will be rebuilt, beginning in May. The original contours will be maintained, but heavy play, poor drainage and susceptibility to disease have made the work necessary. Alternate greens, about 2,700 square feet in size, will be built in March and April and used until the project is completed in the fall. Construction will be staggered so that all 18 alternate greens will be in use at the same time for only about 2 1/2 months.

NOT MILLER TIME

Johnny Miller was well on his way to winning his second consecutive L.A. Open at Riviera in 1982 before he fell apart on the final two holes Sunday, allowing Tom Watson to scramble into a playoff and to his second L.A. Open title. Miller, traditionally a strong front-runner, had a two-stroke lead and was on a pace to break the tournament course record with two holes to play, but he bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18. Watson, playing in the same threesome, got two pars to leave the players tied at 271 after 72 holes. With a huge gallery of 36,536 in attendance, Watson got up and down from green-side bunkers on the first two playoff holes for pars, then made a 45-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole for the victory.

“I thought I’d have to birdie at least one of those last two holes to have a chance,” Watson said. “I never expected Johnny to make a bogey at 17. He just made a mistake when he got on the high side above the hole. That shot killed him. It wasn’t the place to be with a two-shot lead.”

QUOTABLE

Tiger Woods, when asked before the 1992 L.A. Open if he would be intimidated as a 16-year-old playing in his first PGA Tour event: “By who? It’s not that big of a tournament. It’s not like the Masters or U.S. Open.”

Woods, after missing the cut by six strokes: “It was a learning experience. I learned I wasn’t that good. I learned I have a long way to go.... These guys are so much better.” Bruce Lietzke, whose 63 in the second round in 1991 wasn’t enough to overcome a 70-71 finish that left him two strokes behind winner Ted Schulz: “Anybody who plays Riviera recklessly can come up bleeding pretty bad.” Lanny Wadkins, on his younger brother, Bobby, who led after the first round at Riviera in 1987: “I’m proud of him, and I hope he does well, like finish second.” The brothers finished tied for fourth.

Lon Hinkle, who played the last six holes of the second round in two over par but still led in the 1979 event: “I played the first 12 holes like a champ and the last six like a chump.” Sam Snead, who made a run at the title in 1974 at the age of 61, on young golfers on tour: “Most of them are the nicest kids you’d want to meet. Some of them even call me mister. The only time they’re nasty is when I show up for a tournament and take a place that would have gone to a young player. Then it’s ‘That old buzzard. Why doesn’t he stay home in his rocking chair.’ ”

* Past Winners of the L.A. Open

Year Winner Club Score Earnings 1926 Harry Cooper Los Angeles 279 $3,500 1927 Bobby Cruickshank El Caballero 282 $3,500 1928 MacDonald Smith Wilshire 284 $3,500 1929 MacDonald Smith Riviera 285 $3,500 1930 Densmore Shute Riviera 296 $3,500 1931 Ed Dudley Wilshire 285 $3,500 1932 MacDonald Smith Hillcrest 281 $2,000 1933 Craig Wood Wilshire 282 $1,525 1934 MacDonald Smith Los Angeles 280 $1,375 1935 Vic Ghezzi Los Angeles 285* $1,075 1936 Jimmy Hines Los Angeles 280 $1,500 1937 Harry Cooper Griffith Park 274 $2,500 1938 Jimmy Thompson Griffith Park 273 $2,100 1939 Jimmy Demaret Griffith Park 274 $1,650 1940 Lawson Little Los Angeles 282 $1,500 1941 Johnny Bulla Riviera 281 $3,500 1942 Ben Hogan Hillcrest 282* $3,500 1943 No tournament, war blackout 1944 Harold McSpaden Wilshire 278 $4,375 1945 Sam Snead Riviera 283 $2,666 1946 Byron Nelson Riviera 284 $2,666 1947 Ben Hogan Riviera 280 $2,000 1948 Ben Hogan Riviera 275 $2,000 1949 Lloyd Mangrum Riviera 284 $2,600 1950 Sam Snead Riviera 280* $2,600 1951 Lloyd Mangrum Riviera 280 $2,600 1952 Tommy Bolt Riviera 289* $4,000 1953 Lloyd Mangrum Riviera 280 $2,750 1954 Fred Wampler Fox Hills 281 $4,000 1955 Gene Littler Inglewood 276 $5,000 1956 Lloyd Mangrum Rancho Park 272 $6,000 1957 Doug Ford Rancho Park 280 $7,000 1958 Frank Stranahan Rancho Park 275 $7,000 1959 Ken Venturi Rancho Park 278 $5,300 1960 Dow Finsterwald Rancho Park 280 $5,500 1961 Bob Goalby Rancho Park 275 $7,500 1962 Phil Rodgers Rancho Park 268 $7,500 1963 Arnold Palmer Rancho Park 274 $9,000 1964 Paul Harney Rancho Park 280 $7,500 1965 Paul Harney Rancho Park 276 $12,000 1966 Arnold Palmer Rancho Park 273 $11,000 1967 Arnold Palmer Rancho Park 269 $20,000 1968 Billy Casper Brookside 274 $20,000 1969 Charles Sifford Rancho Park 276* $20,000 1970 Billy Casper Rancho Park 276* $20,000 1971 Bob Lunn Rancho Park 274* $22,000 1972 George Archer Rancho Park 270* $25,000 1973 Rod Funseth Riviera 276 $27,000 1974 Dave Stockton Riviera 276 $30,000 1975 Pat Fitzsimons Riviera 275 $30,000 1976 Hale Irwin Riviera 272 $37,000 1977 Tom Purtzer Riviera 273 $40,000 1978 Gil Morgan Riviera 278 $40,000 1979 Lanny Wadkins Riviera 276 $45,000 1980 Tom Watson Riviera 276 $45,000 1981 Johnny Miller Riviera 270 $54,000 1982 Tom Watson Riviera 271 $54,000 1983 Gil Morgan Rancho Park 270 $54,000 1984 David Edwards Riviera 279 $72,000 1985 Lanny Wadkins Riviera 264 $72,000 1986 Doug Tewell Riviera 270 $81,000 1987 T.C. Chen Riviera 275* $108,000 1988 Chip Beck Riviera 267 $135,000 1989 Mark Calcavecchia Riviera 272 $180,000 1990 Fred Couples Riviera 266 $180,000 1991 Ted Schulz Riviera 272 $180,000 1992 Fred Couples Riviera 269* $180,000

* Won in playoff.