Riviera Ready for Northern Trust

The fairways at Riviera Country Club’s historic golf course are looking pristine and the greens are fast and ready to host next week’s Northern Trust Open, formerly called the Nissan Open, the PGA Tour’s Los Angeles event. Riviera has hosted the tournament every year but one since 1973 and that was in 1998 when it was moved north to Valencia Country Club in Santa Clarita while Riviera was being groomed for that year’s U.S. Senior Open. Festivities begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday with a Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Event for complimentary tickets call 818-876-1950). PGA Tour players begin their practice rounds at 1 p.m. on Monday and continue at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Qualifying rounds will start at 7 a.m. Monday at Industry Hills Golf Club’s Eisenhower Course. Pre-qualifiers will be held today at four Southland locations. The popular Northern Trust Open Pro-Am will tee-off at 6:40 a.m. on Wednesday and the first round of the four-day tournament will start at 7 a.m. on Valentine’s Day (Thursday). Charles Howell III is the reigning champion. He beat Phil Mickelson in a playoff last year. The total purse is $6.2 million with $1,116,000 going to the winner. Ten of the top 12 players in the world have already committed to play the PGA Tour’s oldest civic-sponsored event, including Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose, K.J. Choi, Rory Sabbatini, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia. Other leading entries include Masters champion Zach Johnson, U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera, Luke Donald, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir, Stuart Appleby and David Toms. Past champions include Robert Allenby, Len Mattiace and Billy Mayfair. Player exemptions include two-time major champion John Daly and PGA Tour Qualifying School graduate Kevin Streelman. Tickets Tickets can be purchased at the gate at a cost of $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for juniors. Save $5 when purchasing in advance at www.northerntrustopen.com, Roger Dunn Golf Shops or by calling 1-800-752-6736. Parking All general parking is at the Veterans Administration Hospital. Parking is free with shuttle bus transportation to and from Riviera’s Longworth gate entrance (north of Amalfi on Sunset, off of Allenford). The VA Hospital is located off of the 405 Freeway at the Wilshire Boulevard West exit.