Rory comin y’all!
Before he was euthanized, I would lament that the PGA Tour season used to have two beginnings: the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and whatever week Big Cat first showed up. Sure the season was officially underway, but it didn’t feel like it really started until He showed up. Now with the fall series, and the fact that the large feline is holed up playing Call of Duty under an alias, the rollout of the PGA Tour season looks more like an intro to a GOP debate than it does a grand opening. It’s not on the same aforementioned Tiger level, but this week, I find myself legitimately giddy about Rory’s U.S. debut for the 2016 season. The tournament hasn’t even started yet, and he’s already won the week twice:
@GolfChannel @chambleebrandel pic.twitter.com/tz7lSH7Z6k
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) February 16, 2016
I really wanted to say "suck my white ass ball" but they wouldn't let me! https://t.co/wGb9HcU8q5
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) February 16, 2016
At times both under appreciated and forgotten in 2015, a rejuvenated Rory has chosen the best possible setting for his arrival. Riviera is the crème de la crème of the West Coast Swing, and the class of the field this year matches the glorious setting in the Pacific Palisades. Man, just saying “Pacific Palisades” gets me halfway there! A palisade is defined as “a fence of wooden stakes or iron railings fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defence,” which is fitting because Riviera screams exclusivity, and “invite only.”
Everything about this week just oozes class. Gone is the over saturated, forced, corporate stench of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and in comes a great test of golf in a tournament that prides itself on being about the actual golf. Hogan’s Alley is perhaps the most universally loved course that we see every year on the tour, and you need a certified sommelier to properly describe the graceful aging process for this So Cal masterpiece. Prep thyself for a four-day ball striking blowout on a top shelf course accompanied by choice visuals (gallery, blimp shots, weather, etc.).
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Course
Riviera Country Club
Riviera is dope. Period. Point blank. I had a chance to play it unexpectedly in 2008, and I haven’t shut up about it since. George C. Thomas designed Riviera (par 35-36-71), which opened in 1927. A ballstriker’s paradise, Riv ranked third in a 2012 poll of PGA Pros’ favorite courses (trailing only Augusta National and Harbor Town). As with most well-aged tracks, accuracy off the tee is of utmost importance, as is the ability to work the ball both ways (obviously a boon to Gerry Watson). Just listen to what some of the pros are already saying about it:
Never gets old coming to Riviera. Truly one of the best courses/tests ever made
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) February 17, 2016
Riviera CC is the best course on @PGATOUR #out
— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) February 17, 2016
Riviera this week.. In my top 5 courses I've ever played
— Jordan Spieth (@JordanSpieth) February 15, 2016
The day begins with a downhill, 505 yard par-5, which always plays as one of the easiest holes on Tour, easing competitors into the challenge that awaits them. Another example of “par” being irrelevant.
View off the box of #1 (photo courtesy of NorthernTrustOpen.com)
The rest of the opening nine is a collection of 400+ yard par-4’s (the shortest measuring 408 yards, longest 471 yards) along with a couple stretched out par-3’s (199 yards and 236 yards, respectively). There are no signature holes, necessarily, but each will call for shot-making, a certain amount of creativity, and an ability to properly wield every club in the bag (motifs which carry over to the second nine).
The back nine starts with Golf.com’s 6th best hole in the United States, the driveable 10th that measures just 310 yards. Jack Nicklaus noted this hole has more options than any short hole in the world. Expect to see #10 heavily-featured on the telecast (deservedly), but don’t expect many drives to hit the green.
On Sunday, especially, when they cut the hole on the far right portion (from the players’ vantage point), and given the slope of the green and bunkering surrounding it, it’ll be a challenge to get near the hole with a wedge after laying up, let alone with the Big Dog from the box. Nantz and Sir Nick will be quick to point out, repeatedly, that although a tiny par-4, bogey is always in play on #10, no matter if guys go conservative off the tee or not. In general, we give guys a pass on not trying to take on this green from the tee, because it’s far from a no brainer, and the chances of a ball staying on the surface are quite minimal. In all, it’s as good a hole as advertised, and a ton of fun to watch.
View of #10 green. Sunday flag will be cut just over right side of the right-hand bunker in background. (Photo courtesy of NorthernTrustOpen.com)
After #10, guys get a grown-up par-5 (the first of two on this side) measuring 583 yards. Then it’s a few more 400+ yard par-4’s with another mid-to-long iron par-3 (#14, measuring 192 yards) thrown in. The finishing trio of holes is mega-solid. A diverse mix, it offers bit of everything for both players and viewers.
Sixteen is a relatively short par-3 at 166 yards and gives guys an opportunity to stuff the pinata with a well-struck short iron. Seventeen is a cavernous, uphill par-5 that measures nearly six-hundo. There’s a chance some big sticks get home in two this week, but overall eagles will be pretty rare (unfortunately). It is a prime chance to trap some more common feathered flyers, though. There’s a good chance the board will be bunched Sunday, and seventeen will be the last best chance to make birdie before the daunting eighteenth.
The finishing hole is among the most famous in golf. It’s a very challenging 475 yard par-4 which plays uphill, a bit left-to-right, and with a green that is hilariously in-conducive to holding the requisite long-irons into it. The upper left side of the hole is framed by Larry David’s sprawling mansion, and the putting surface is tucked in at the base of a hill with the iconic Riv clubhouse looming bossily in the background. The natural amphitheater gathers huge crowds and for good reason: there is usually serious Sunday drama unfolding just below.
View of #18 green. (Photo courtesy NorthernTrustOpen.com)
Freddie Couples is widely known to have a love affair with Riv, a fact that underscores and reinforces her sexiness (as if she needs such legitimizing). Count on her to again separate the ballstriking wheat from the chaff, yielding an ultra-glitzy board come the weekend.
Vibe
Gone are the pornographic ocean views that frame Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines, and absent are the boisterous galleries that define TPC Scottsdale, but don’t you dare go feeling sorry for the Northern Trust Open. At minimum, this is a top three non-major event. The vibe is mostly ‘California-cool,’ which means laid back and genial with still a hint of LA phoniness and self-aggrandizement sprinkled in. So make yourself a nice drink, don
Source: https://nolayingup.com/blog/2016-northern-trust-open-preview