It’s Couples’ Home Away From Home : Golf: Riviera is his favorite course in the world, which he has seen a lot of lately.

From Dubai to Manila and now appearing at Riviera Country Club, the Fred Couples’ World Tour has been a huge geographical success, not to mention pretty darned lucrative.

The $1.2-million Nissan L.A. Open begins today at Riviera, and Couples thinks he has a chance, even if he can’t tell whether he’s walking through the locker room or customs.

Couples thinks he knows where he is headed on the golf course, though.

“I’m looking forward to a big year,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to backfire.”

Riviera is Couples’ first tournament since he won the Johnnie Walker at Manila, which was the week after he won the Dubai Classic, both European PGA Tour events.

When he left that tour, he was the leading money winner with $272,500. Now after taking three weeks off, Couples is back at his favorite course, playing his favorite tournament.

Couples is realistic about his recent hot streak.

“That roll is over,” he said. “But it’s a good place to start again. This is where it can all start. If it doesn’t, then I just go next week and know I have a week under my belt.

“I’m not looking that way, but that’s the way you have to look at it.

“I’m not one to worry too much as far as I’m playing. I know I can play. I know I’m very close. But a month ago, I was right on, and it was a good feeling.”

Actually, Couples has been right on since November. He has played nine events and won six of them, including $907,500 in special events the last two months of 1994.

Add his season-opening tie for fifth at the Mercedes Championships and his back-to-back victories overseas, and Couples seems to be coming back to the PGA Tour impressively.

Lanny Wadkins, who expects to have Couples on the Ryder Cup team in September, said there’s not a lot wrong with Couples right now.

“At this point in time, his game doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses,” Wadkins said.

“He’s driving it long and straight, making better putts now that he’s gone cross-handed, his short game is super and he’s got great touch,” Wadkins said.

There has been some fine tuning done on Couples’ swing. He spent four days last week, practicing at the Hills of Lakeway at Austin, Tex., with his teacher, Paul Marchand.

On Monday, he played at El Caballero and impressed the members with a 300-yard drive on the 467-yard par-four ninth hole that left him a nine-iron to the green.

Peter Jacobsen said the rest probably will do Couples some good.

“He’s very effective when he’s relaxed,” Jacobsen said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Freddie were to win.”

A former teammate of Couples at the University of Houston and the pro at Houston Country Club, Marchand said he expects great things from Couples.

“It’s kind of like watching Secretariat run around out there,” Marchand said. “He looks awfully good. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him erupt at any time.”

It might have happened last year. Couples was the runner-up at La Costa, where he lost to Phil Mickelson in a playoff. At Riviera, he finished second to Corey Pavin.

The next week, Couples tore a disk in his back at the Doral-Ryder Open and was sidelined for nearly three months. Couples’ mother, Violet, died on Mothers’ Day, just before he returned to the tour to play the Buick Classic.

“He’s motivated to go on through adversity,” Marchand said. “There’s a lot of reasons for him to feel confident.”

Playing Riviera is one of them. It’s a comfort zone for Couples. He won the L.A. Open in 1990 and 1992 and finished second in 1993 to Tom Kite and last year to Pavin.

“I have a lot of confidence here,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful golf course where you can shoot a lot under par, but I don’t see that this week (because) there is a lot of rough. The toughest thing this week will be if you miss the fairway, the odds of getting it on the green are going to be difficult.”

How difficult is difficult? Marchand said he isn’t really sure when Couples is involved.

“His game is on such a level, he can play really well even when he’s not playing his best,” he said. “And that’s something to see.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Greens Fees

Fred Couples has played nine events since November. His finishes and earnings in each:

Event Fin. Money Kapalua Int’l 1 180,000 World Cup 1 250,000 Shark Shootout 1 150,000 Skins Game 2 170,000 3-Tour Challenge 1 100,000 J. Walker (Jamaica) 16 57,500 Mercedes Champ. T5 32,250 Dubai Desert 1 112,500 J. Walker (Manila) 1 160,000