Riviera Ready to Weather Rainfall
With rain possible today and Thursday for the opening round of the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, players and groundskeepers are curious to see how conditions will be affected.
PGA Tour players at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in La Quinta were focused on Riviera’s greens. But course superintendent Paul Ramina said the course is in good condition after recent rains, and a crew of 30 permanent workers and 40 volunteers is standing by with squeegees in case of more rain.
Ramina’s main concern should it rain is the bunkers. He and his crew are armed with six gas pumps to drain puddles.
“The bunkers here are pretty well known. Some of them have steep faces and if we get some good rainfall like we did last week, sand comes down and you get puddles,” Ramina said.
Riviera’s greens are much improved since coming under sharp criticism for being bare during the 1995 PGA Championship.
“There was some trouble in ‘95, but since I’ve been here we’ve worked on the greens a lot,” said Ramina, preparing for his third Nissan Open.
“The greens are to USGA specifications and they’re sand-based, so they drain pretty good.”
Still, he’ll keep a close eye on the No. 2, No. 13 and No. 5 greens.
Players are wary the greens could be “bumpy,” but Riviera’s other charms may compensate.
“I love playing Riviera, I just hope the weather is not too bad,” David Duval said after the final round of the Hope. “Bumpy greens, sure I can play them. I guess if you asked me, I’d rather play them smooth, though.”
Jerry Kelly expects less-than-ideal greens as well.
“I know it’s been wet and that’ll make the greens wet and bumpy,” Kelly said. “For some reason, I don’t mind them bumpy. I just love Riviera so much. I tell every single person in the world this: Riviera is my favorite course in the world. It’s not like I’ve played well there. It’s eaten me up. It’s just so special.”
A little more than a week ago, five inches of rain fell on the course over three to four days, so Ramina already has seen a worst-case scenario after a dry winter marked by a considerable amount of frost.
“The course, I feel, is in really good condition, especially considering it’s been a tough winter,” he said.
His concerns will increase with as little as an inch of rainfall, but he and his crew are poised to get the course back in playing condition as quickly as possible.
More than anything, the effect of lighter rains will simply be delays in mowing the fairways, which must dry before being mowed.
“I just hope the golf course will be able to dry out a little bit,” Justin Leonard said. “I guess it’s supposed to be wet, which means it will play a little longer.”
Said defending champion Kirk Triplett: “I’m kind of curious to see how it plays. The new tees [No. 5 is 12 yards longer at 431 yards] may make it a little more difficult. It should play pretty tough.”
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Staff writer Thomas Bonk contributed to this story.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
2001 Nissan Open
* Where: Riviera Country Club
* When: Today through Sunday
* Prize money: $3.4 million, $630,000 for winner.
* Defending champion: Kirk Triplett
* Television: Thursday, 1-3 p.m., USA Network; Friday, 1-3 p.m., USA Network; Saturday, noon-3 p.m., CBS; Sunday, noon-3 p.m., CBS.
* Parking: Shuttle service to and from the Longworth entrance of Riviera from the Veterans Administration Hospital parking lot.
* Tickets: Daily $20, Season $60, Discount book of 12 $180. Ticketmaster (877) 614-6245.
SCHEDULE
Today
* Nissan dealers pro-am, 8 a.m.
* Professional practice rounds, 1 p.m.
* Pro-am pairings party, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
* Professional practice round, 8 a.m.
* PGA Tour Challenge (first tee), 1 p.m.
Wednesday
* Pro-am, 6:50 a.m.
Thursday
* First round, 7:30 a.m.
Friday
* Second round, 7:30 a.m.
Saturday
* Third round, 8 a.m.
Sunday
* Fourth round, 8 a.m.