Many Are Driven to Win This Weekend

The Nissan Open begins today, which can mean only one thing: It’s going to be wet and possibly sloppy at Riviera Country Club. But besides the typically soggy sight of Riviera’s greens, which were actually fast and firm until the rain hit Wednesday, any concrete analysis of the $4.8-million tournament must include who has a chance to win.

There might be a common denominator to be considered. Mike Weir is the defending champion, but he didn’t play the last two weeks and spent his time training a new puppy, a black Labrador. John Daly, who played and won last week at Torrey Pines, probably would give that puppy a ride in his motor home. Vijay Singh, who won two weeks ago at Pebble Beach, would take that puppy along with him to the driving range.

And, as we’ve found out lately about Tiger Woods, he’d go scuba diving with the dog.

Anyway, Weir, Daly, Singh and Woods headline the field this week at new-look Riviera, where the 18th hole is longer, the 17th has a new bunker position pinching the fairway, and the whole place tries to prove everybody wrong who says its bark may be worse than its bite.

Riviera wouldn’t mind putting on a mean face again. Last year, Weir’s winning total of nine-under 275 in great weather conditions was still the third-highest score in 13 years.

Weir started the last round seven shots behind 54-hole leader Charles Howell III, but he closed with a 66 and caught Howell, whose 73 left him in a playoff with Weir. That went to Weir on the second extra hole.

“I obviously had a little help from Charles,” Weir said. “I mean, he didn’t have his best day. And the playoff is anybody’s game.”

Howell is back to try again and so is Daly, whose victory Sunday at the Buick Invitational was his first PGA Tour success in nine years. Daly didn’t check in at Riviera until just before noon Wednesday, but he has been busy since Torrey Pines. He had a charity function Monday at Corona and a corporate outing Tuesday in Phoenix.

With his victory, Daly moved from 299th to 85th in the world rankings and managed to make a rare positive impression on PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.

“He’s the classic underdog survivor,” Finchem said. “The fans have stood with him ... through thick and thin.”

It also probably made Finchem’s day that CBS’ Nielsen rating for the Buick on Sunday was a healthy 4.7. When Woods won last year, the rating for Torrey Pines was 6.9, but that was his comeback, his first tournament of the year after knee surgery. In 2002, the Buick rating was 3.5, so the rating for Daly’s victory was 34% higher than that.

Daly’s stock may also be rising with U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, who said Daly would be a valuable addition to the team, whether he made it on points or on a captain’s pick.

“How could you not want a guy who hits it 325 yards?” Sutton said.

Then there is the Singh saga. Singh will try to start another top-10 streak since his streak of 12 ended abruptly at Torrey Pines, where he missed the cut. Afterward, he said he was flying home to Florida for a couple of days, but instead Singh was on the driving range at Torrey Pines on Saturday and Sunday mornings and was one of the first players to show up at Riviera.

Meanwhile, showing up for the first time this year in a PGA Tour event are David Toms and Nick Price. And 23-year-old Justin Rose is making his debut as a PGA Tour member.

Rose played 11 times on the European Tour in 2003, five years after he burst onto the scene when he tied for fourth at the British Open at Royal Birkdale. He says his joining the PGA Tour has caused no resentment among his peers on the European Tour.

“It’s probably more like envy,” Rose said. “Everybody aspires to at least be able and come and play on the Tour.”

Jonathan Kaye, who won at Scottsdale and is third on the money list, behind Singh and Phil Mickelson, is here this week, and so is Stuart Appleby, fourth on the money list.

Woods will play the first two rounds with Tom Lehman and Chris DiMarco, and Daly with Peter Jacobsen and Bob Tway; Singh’s group includes Steve Flesch and Spike McRoy.

Woods has been blanked in his five appearances at Riviera for the Nissan Open, but he said he wouldn’t mind changing that this week.

“It would be a great win if I can get it,” Woods said.

He’s not the only one with that attitude this week.