Nissan Open at Riviera : NOTES : Tradition Doesn’t Help Pay Bills, Sponsor Does

To the despair of many locals, the L.A. Open is no longer called such and probably doesn’t have a chance to regain its traditional name until at least 1998, when the contract between the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce and Nissan is up.

You can’t blame Nissan, which funds a major part of the now Nissan Open, a tournament that costs nearly $4 million to put on, including the $1.2-million purse. For six years, Nissan allowed the tournament to be called the Nissan Los Angeles Open, but the media ignored the full name, leaving off the Nissan part.

But the Junior Chamber, which trade-marked the name “L.A. Open” in 1924, still retains it, even though last year a tennis tournament used it, albeit without authorization, says Kevin Boucher, director of projects for the Junior Chamber. In order to retain the trademark, the Junior Chamber needs to hold an event by the end of this year using the name. So a golf tournament for women from local clubs will be held later this year, Boucher says, and it will be called the L.A. Open.

“It was a tough decision for us to give up the name for the tournament,” Boucher said, “but it costs millions to put this on and we had to make a concession. People still refer to it, though, as the L.A. Open, just like they still call the AT&T; at Pebble Beach the Crosby.”

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Some members at Riviera were upset recently when they discovered that the sixth hole, which is considered somewhat sacred in its design, had been altered. The hole, which has been copied all over the world, has a round bunker on the green, not exactly in the center, but close. It has changed somewhat since it was originally built in 1926--the edges are rounded now instead of rough, making it easier to maintain.

But recently a golfer tripped and fell while trying to enter the bunker, according to Riviera general manager Peter Pino. For safety reasons, Pino had the bunker enlarged slightly on the low end, supposedly to make it easier to enter.

Longtime member Dick Caruso said, “I play this course all the time and I didn’t even notice it. But some people are up in arms about it.”

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Of all the people trying to sneak in the clubhouse at Riviera, doorman Leroy Hilton said the best story was a man claiming to be Jack Nicklaus. “He says to me, ‘I’m Jack Nicklaus.’ I said, ‘No you’re not.’ He didn’t look anything like him.’ ”

Hilton, who worked the main entrance to the private club, said his worst encounter was with a member of the media, or so the man claimed. “The guy comes in sticking a lens in my face and says, ‘Don’t you realize that I wouldn’t be walking around with this camera if I didn’t have any business here?’ ” Hilton said. “It didn’t work.”

Media members are not allowed.

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An hour after John Daly chose to go for it on No. 10, hitting a wedge 30 feet in the air over a 20-foot tree that was 10 feet in front of him plus three palm trees, spectators were still marveling at the foot-long divot. The ball--which was lying nearly on the cart path after an errant drive--hit about a foot from the pin and stopped about seven feet away. He made the putt for a birdie.

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Once upon a time, people went to golf tournaments to watch the golfers.

At the Nissan Open, it seemed at times that many of them were more interested in the commercial enterprises lining the first fairway. It was possible to compare swings with John Daly on the Michelob swing analyzer, although from the lusty swipes taken by some duffers, they might not want to know their swing speed.

If spectators were short of money to spend in The Golf Shop or the food and drink pavilions, there was an ATM handy. And it seemed everyone was lined up to take a chance on winning an $18,000 car presented by, guess who?

Like auto racing, where the cars are numbered and sponsored, so were Riviera’s 18 holes.

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Patrick Burke, a touring pro from Azusa, made the third hole in one of the tournament Sunday when he holed out a six-iron shot on the 161-yard sixth hole.

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Tournament officials took no chance on identifying their course workers. On their cap, it read MARSHAL. On their official badge, it read MARSHALL.