For the First Time, the PGA Tour Stops Here

Professional golf has had a significant presence in the Valley-Ventura County region for quite some time, but in 1998 the sport will impact the region like no other sport ever has.

The PGA Tour, at an all-time high in popularity, will visit Valencia Country Club during the last week of February for the Nissan Open. And when it does, it will not only be the biggest golf event to take place in the region but the most prominent sporting event.

It’s hard to point a finger at exactly who is responsible for bringing an event of such import to the region, but Valencia Country Club President Ken Kikuchi and his staff certainly deserve some of the credit.

“Naturally we were very excited and certainly honored to have been chosen as the official site,” Kikuchi said. “Valencia has always been recognized as one of the most well-maintained courses anywhere with greens that are second to none.”

Kikuchi, Valencia’s president since 1992, gave a standing offer to the PGA Tour in case the opportunity to host an event presented itself.

That opportunity arose when Riviera Country Club, annual site for the Nissan Open, was selected as the site for the 1998 Senior U.S. Open. When the Pacific Palisades course last hosted two pro tournaments in 1995, the overused greens were a subject of much controversy. Officials decided the course would not be used twice in the same year again.

Kikuchi worked with the PGA Tour and the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce for six months when it became apparent the PGA Tour would need an alternate site for the 1998 Nissan Open.

“We think the L.A. Junior Chamber of Commerce along with officials of the PGA Tour were impressed with the condition and also the fact that the course is in a competition ready state all of the time,” Kikuchi said.

Professional golf has had success in the region with Greg Norman’s unofficial Shark Shootout at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

The PGA Senior Tour has held events at Ojai Valley Inn and Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley.

The LPGA Tour first visited Oakmont Country Club in Glendale for the GNA-Glendale Federal Classic from 1985-1987 and Oakmont returned to the tour last year with the Los Angeles Women’s Championship.

But the Nissan Open is the first full-field, PGA Tour event to be played in the region.

Last year, three-time Master’s champion Nick Faldo defeated a field that included nine of the 12 members of the 1997 U.S. Ryder Cup team and all four of the 1997 major championship winners, including Masters champion Tiger Woods.

Faldo has committed to play but the Nissan field might not be as strong because Riviera is a favorite of the players and most are unfamiliar with Valencia.

The tournament will return to Riviera in 1999, but Kikuchi has not withdrawn his standing offer.

“Certainly we would like to get this one finished before we think about other events,” he said. “If other opportunities develop for Valencia to host other tour events, each one would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.”