Riviera Is No Longer Blushing

Proud Riviera Country Club, embarrassed two years ago by the poor condition of its greens when the golfing world was watching the PGA Championship, returns to the spotlight this week, ready to show why it annually is rated among the world’s finest courses.

The showcase will be the $1.4-million Nissan Open, which will start Thursday and end Sunday on the 6,946-yard, par 35-36--71 course in Pacific Palisades.

“It’s in much better condition than it has been in years,” says head professional Mike Miller, who has been associated with Riviera off and on for more than 20 years. “The fairways, the rough, the bunkers and the greens all have much better density and consistency that when the PGA was here.”

Eleven of the top 14 money winners last year are in the field, a tribute, Miller says, to the playing conditions last year when Craig Stadler won with a 278, six under par.

“After all the criticism we had during and after the PGA, the field last year wasn’t as strong as usual, but when the word got around how much better Riviera played in last year’s Nissan Open, a lot of the really good players decided to come to Riviera this year,” Miller said.

“Traditionally, the last tournament [on the West Coast] before Florida doesn’t get a strong field because a lot of the big-money players leave early for the East Coast, or they wait until the tour reaches Florida before starting the tour.”

Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo and 1994 U.S. Open champion Ernie Els, who has never played in the Nissan Open, are entered, along with such local favorites as Tiger Woods, Mark O’Meara, Corey Pavin, Fred Couples and Stadler. Faldo has not played in the tournament since 1989, when it was known as the Los Angeles Open.

Also in is Steve Elkington, the long-hitting Australian who shot a PGA-record 267, 17 under par, before beating Colin Montgomerie in a playoff to win the 1995 PGA.

No architectural changes have been made at Riviera since last year’s tournament, but the greens will be a little faster and the rough a little shorter--but not much.

“The greens should be about 10 on the Stimpmeter,” said Pete Pino, Riviera general manager. “That’s pretty quick. They’re usually about 11 for the U.S. Open and 9 1/2 for most tour events. It will be critical for the pros to keep their ball below the hole on approach shots. The greens are strong enough that we can triple-cut them, which accounts for the speed.

“The greens have come a long way from 1995. They’re coming back. In another year or so, in time for the U.S. Senior Open, they should be all the way back.”

Riviera will be the site of the Senior Open in July 1998.

Last December’s big wind uprooted nine trees and broke branches, but none of the damage affected play. Nor was any damage done in Sunday night’s big blow.

“We were lucky,” Pino said. “We had a tree-trimming program the last couple of years, so we were ready when the winds came. Another plus is that the pruning opened up more light on the greens and the fairways, especially down around the sixth hole, where it was dark most of the time.

“To tell you the truth, I’d like to see a little wind during the tournament, just to make things more interesting.”

Dick Caruso, a member at Riviera and chairman of the 1995 PGA tournament, said he expects low scores if the weather doesn’t change.

“The rough is up and the fairways are narrower than they were for the PGA, but you know, one of those guys is going to hit everything down the middle and not even know the rough is up,” Caruso said. “I think you’ll see a lot of red numbers [under par] on the scoreboard.”

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The Facts

* WHAT: Nissan Open.

* WHERE: Riviera Country Club, 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades.

* WHEN: Through Sunday.

* SCHEDULE: Today, practice round; Wednesday, Chairman’s pro-am; Thursday-Sunday, tournament play.

* PRIZE MONEY: $1.4 million, $252,000 to winner.

* PLAYERS TO WATCH: Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Mark O’Meara, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Corey Pavin, Tom Watson, Jim Furyk.

* DEFENDING CHAMPION: Craig Stadler.

* LAST YEAR: Stadler’s six-under par 268, left him one shot ahead of Couples, Mark Brooks, Scott Simpson and Mark Wiebe.

* TV: USA Network: Thursday-Friday, 1-3 p.m.; Channel 2: Saturday, 12-3 p.m., Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

* TICKETS: Daily grounds pass $20, daily youth pass $10, daily senior pass $15, season pass $60, discount book of 12 daily passes $180, bronze parking pass at Veterans Administration Hospital $50. Tickets available by calling 213 482-1311 or all Ticketmaster outlets.

* PARKING: Shuttle service to and from the Longworth entrance of Riviera Country Club from V.A. Hospital parking lot. Take Santa Monica west from San Diego Freeway to Sawtelle. Turn right on Sawtelle and enter the hospital parking lot at the Ohio Street entrance.