USGA Was Open-Minded About Riviera

How close did Riviera Country Club actually come to hosting the 2005 U.S. Open, which was awarded Thursday to Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina?

Fairly close, it appears, something like first runner-up, as Riviera lost out on its chance to stage a national championship at the Pacific Palisades layout for the first time since 1948.

At the USGA’s annual winter meetings in San Francisco, the executive committee chose Pinehurst No. 2, the site of last year’s U.S. Open won by Payne Stewart, over Riviera and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., and the Olympic Club in San Francisco were also-rans.

Long before Thursday’s vote, management at Riviera had agreed to the USGA’s urgings to revamp the course to “toughen it up” and guard against the improvements in golf equipment.

Principal among the USGA’s suggestions was to tighten a number of fairways, No. 1 and No. 13 among them, by adding bunkers. Tom Fazio had been mentioned as the architect most likely to make the changes to George Thomas’ 1927 masterpiece.

The USGA might also have called for a complete redo of the greens, a process that could have caused Riviera to shut down for as long as six months.

However, the USGA ultimately decided it would not be in its best interests to award the U.S. Open to a course that didn’t already have the necessary changes in place.

As for what Riviera does next, that’s not clear. There were reports that the club was for sale two years ago, but was pulled off the market when it became known that the USGA might want to stage a U.S. Open there.

IDEA OF THE WEEK

At the urging of IMG, David Duval has agreed to media training, which might help him to improve responses such as this one, which opened his pre-tournament news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Question: What are your thoughts on Casey Martin being in this tournament?

Answer: Haven’t thought about it.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

From Martin, who has firm religious convictions, saying he did not pray for birdies and was then asked what he did pray for: “Eagles.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK II

From Glen Day, on the relevance of his six-under 66 in the first round of the 90-hole Bob Hope Chrysler Classic: “If we were all going out to dinner, we haven’t even valeted the car yet.”

STAT OF THE WEEK

Tiger Woods has played 71 PGA Tour events and won 16 times, a winning percentage of .225.

TIGER UPDATE

Woods is not playing next week’s Phoenix Open, which means his West Coast schedule is shaping up like this: the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the Buick Invitational in LaJolla, the Nissan Open at Riviera and the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship at La Costa in Carlsbad.

That’s four consecutive weeks for Woods and it’s also why he skipped Phoenix, which would have meant five straight weeks.

When the tour moves to Florida, Woods will sit out the first two events--the Doral-Ryder Open and the Honda Classic--then will play at Bay Hill and the Players Championship. He will skip the BellSouth Classic in Duluth, Ga., then play the Masters at Augusta.

SWIMSUIT COUPLE

This is supposed to be semi-secret, but Julie and Ben Crenshaw will be a featured celebrity sports couple in the Feb. 23 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Last year, Phil and Amy Mickelson were in the swimsuit issue.

CASEY UPDATE

Martin, who entered the Hope with a sponsor’s exemption, accepted another sponsor’s exemption to play the Nissan Open, Feb. 17-20, at Riviera.

Martin’s schedule looks like this: the Phoenix Open next week, the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a week off, then the Nissan Open.

There was an unfortunate choice of words in a Nike media release, which included this line about the new Course Air Tour shoe: “Players that will enjoy a comfortable walk this season include Casey Martin . . . “

SKIING UPDATE

Scott Simpson broke his leg in a skiing accident at Brian Head, Utah, but is expected to be back for the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in La Jolla.

Simpson’s injury completes a rare ski trauma trifecta for former Buick Invitational winners that also includes Mickelson (broken leg in 1994, missed three months) and Craig Stadler (sprained shoulder in 1993, missed a month).

Note to Woods, the Buick defending champion: Stick with the hot buttered rum instead.

CLOTHES LINE

Obviously feeling a need to become a little more dapper at 54, Hale Irwin has a deal with Carnoustie of Irvine for a line of golf apparel, which is described as high-end Italian. The last high-end Italian had a label, a cork and wrecked expense accounts.

Anyway, the clothes are expected to debut this fall.

E-COMMERCE UPDATE

Online sporting goods sales will total $4 billion in 2004--a 295% increase over 1999, according to a report in Golfweek.

COURT UPDATE

Remember those “Free Mark King” signs unfurled from the windows of the Taylor Made office building in Carlsbad? Well, he’s free.

Callaway settled its legal dispute with former executive King, who left Callaway’s golf ball division to become president of Taylor Made-Adidas. Under terms of the agreement, King can’t divulge any of the secrets of the soon-to-be-released Callaway golf ball.

Hint: It’s going to be round and will have dimples.