Photo: © Stephen Dunn/Allsport The ninth hole at Riviera Country Club in more recent times.

Today Riviera is famous for two unique things. The grass is Kikuyu, a strong, tough strain of grass that was imported from Africa over 70 years ago and used on polo grounds. The grass is so strong that it can withstand the strain of horses running back and forth. About the time Riviera first opened, polo was big and there were many polo grounds around the course. Their are many convincing stories on how Kikuyu appeared at Riviera, but the myth most ofetn told is that one night after a local polo field was seeded, a huge windstorm carried the Kikuyu seed onto Riviera and took hold. Since the grass was a weed it grew very quickly, but the superintendent ignored its encroachment. Before he knew it, the course was taken over by the grass and it was too late to change. Today Kikuyu has blanketed the course, making pitch and run shots impossible because the thick grass grabs shots. Many believe that Kikuyu is the finest form of grass to play on as every lie in the fairway has the ball sitting up. Over the years Riviera has been smart. Instead of resisting the growth of the grass it has learned how to perfect Kikuyu. The other unique attribute at Riviera is the sixth hole, a 170-yard, par 3 that features a bunker in the middle of the green, making the putting surface doughnut shape. If a player's ball lands on the wrong side of the bunker, he is then forced to chip over the bunker, and, for the average player, that means taking a divot out of the green.

Riviera has held several major championships. In 1948 the U.S. Open was won by Ben Hogan, who shot the tournament record of 276, a record that stood until 1967.

In 1983 the PGA Championship was held at Riviera and was won by Hal Sutton. How can we ever forget when the PGA returned in 1995, with Steve Elkington beating Colin Montgomerie in a playoff? Both shot 267, which not only is the record in the PGA, but is the record for any major championship.

A Senior Tour major was played in 1998 when Hale Irwin was able to overcome a first-round 77 to capture the title.

One of the big disappointments is the fact that the odds on Riviera ever holding another major is pretty slim. As a matter of fact, if the tournament isn't careful it could lose the Northern Trust. It's not a problem with the course, which is considered one of the gems on the PGA Tour. The problem is the neighborhood that makes on-site parking impossible and there isn't any room for hospitality areas, which are becoming the lifeblood of the USGA and the PGA of America. Another major concern is the traffic around the course. Sunset Boulevard is a major artery for many and it not only gets bogged down with traffic, but all of the side streets become impossible to maneuver. Unfortunately as time goes on the traffic becomes even more congested, making it difficult to stage an event at this storied course.

Major Championships held at Riviera:
1948 U.S. Open won by Ben Hogan
1983 PGA Championship won by Hal Sutton
1995 PGA Championship won by Steve Elkington
1998 U.S. Senior Open won by Hale Irwin

The Buzz:

A great field has been assembled for this year. Thanks in part to a great course and the fact that the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is scheduled for next week, 27 of the top 40 and 17 of the top 20 in the world rankings will tee it up this week.

A great field is something the Tour dearly needed considering that four of the last six winners this year have been, shall we say, long shots. It's hard to fathom winners like Daniel Chopra at the Mercedes, Trahan at the Hope, Holmes at FBR and Lowery last week at Pebble. Yes, all of these players have won before, but I'm sure not many folks had these winners on their fantasy golf cards this year. One thing that is showing up this year is the journeyman in his 30s; the type of player that seems to grind it out and earn a check. Players like Trahan and Lowery follow that mold and how could you say that K.J. Choi isn't a grinder? Yes, it has been a different kind of year.

Weather has been great all year on Tour, with the exception of San Diego, and thankfully weather won't be a problem this week in the L.A. area. It's been a pretty dry winter, but it rain usually manages to show up the week of this tournament as you can see by the chart to the right . Hopefully, this chart won't have to be updated this week as it should be dry, according to Weather.com, so look for a sunny week and a dry course.

Some of the other buzz is being created by Phil Mickelson, who has played like a yo-yo this year, but is returning to Riviera after a near-win last year. It's a big change for Mickelson, who in his first seven visits to Riviera never seemed to like the course, but now with Butch Harmon helping him drive it straighter he finds the course to his liking. He also can commute every day from his home in Northern California either by plane or chopper, so it will be interesting to see how he fares. Will we see the Mickelson that we saw in Arizona or will we see the Mickelson that missed the cut last week at Pebble Beach?

A lot of folks will be making their 2008 PGA debut this week. Justin Rose will be playing this week, the first of six straight scheduled starts. Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Toru Taniguchi and Retief Goosen will also be playing for the first time this year in America. Most of them have already played in Europe. Speaking of those making their debut on the PGA Tour, we are now hearing rumors that Ernie Els, who said he wouldn't play until the Honda, is having a change of heart and is going to play next week in the Accenture Match Play. Now that should cause some real "buzz."

Lastly, as fro our wounded warriors, Brett Wetterich got some bad news when an MRI came back showing a torn labrum on his shoulder. He is going to consult with other doctors, but surgery looks like it will happen and put him out of action for at least six months and probably the whole year. Elsewhere, Kevin Stadler withdrew with a wrist injury, Dudley Hart withdrew after fighting the flu for the last couple of weeks and he probably won't play until the Florida swing. Lastly, Arron Oberholser is still suffering from bursitis in his right shoulder and may not be able to play in the Accenture next week.

Here are some things to look for this week:

Photo: © Gary Newkirk /Allsport Scene at the 18 hole at Riviera Country Club.

Riviera C.C. has held a U.S. Open, two PGA Championships and a Senior Open. No other stop on the PGA Tour can claim the distinction of holding these three majors. Of the 55 PGA Tour this year, Riviera, Oakland Hills and Pebble are the only courses that have hosted both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship.

In the history of this tournament, 28 of the 45 winners at Riviera have also won a major championship.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Nissan Open:

• Key stat for the winner:
  Riviera is an old-style course that is a different breed than most of courses on the PGA Tour. Placing drives in the right place is important. Just look at some of the champions over the last 16 years: Charles Howell III, Rory Sabbatini, Mike Weir, Len Mattiace, Kirk Triplett, Craig Stadler, Corey Pavin, Tom Kite and Ted Schultz. What do they all have in common? Except for Sabbatini, since 1998 not one of the winners have been in the Top-10 in driving distance for the week and five of them were out of the Top-25. Still, Sabbatini belongs in this category since he ranked 111th on the PGA Tour in distance in 2006. So, it's clear that the winners don't hit it far, but they are better known for maneuvering the ball in the right place, then getting on the green and making birdies.
• Unimportant stat: All of the above could go out the window this week as the course will be playing drastically different. That is because of the lack of rain and the cold weather. The course won't have any heavy rough and if it gets warm, scoring could be very low, something that is unusual for Riviera.
• Experience is a key. The list of champions in the last 16 years includes Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Mike Weir, all major championship winners.
• Players that hits lots of greens always do well on this course.
• Putting has become a very important element the last couple of years. Look at this chart by the PGA Tour, it shows how winners in the last 15 years have had their best putting performances of the year at Riviera, so maybe a player with a hot putter will once again win this week.
• Could be a good week for a foreign players as 7 of the last 10 events here have been won by an international player.
• Players that are good scramblers do well here, especially one that can play the delicate shots around the green with the sponge Kikuyugras.
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