Star field in LA for Accenture lead up
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2008 Northern Trust Open | Preview | 12 Feb 2008
It might have gone under several different names since it’s debut in 1926, and this year it will be another, but to most this week’s Northern Trust Open is the age old Los Angeles Open and the famed Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades on the outskirts of Los Angeles, is the venue synonymous with the event.
First played at this great venue in 1929, the tournament has moved around many different venues in the Los Angeles area since, but it returned to Riviera in 1973 and has remained at the George Thomas and William Bell designed layout in all but two of the subsequent years.
With eight of the top ten players in the world in the field, the tournament is taking advantage of its position in the PGA Tour schedule ahead of next week’s Accenture Match Play in Arizona to attract a field of even greater strength than normal.
Charles Howell III was the winner in 2007 after a final round of 65 moved him past Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and Rich Beem to defeat Mickelson in a three hole playoff.
Mickelson is the favourite this week despite a rather unusual missed cut last week when defending his 2007 title at Pebble Beach. His form prior to that was however very impressive and it is hard to believe that he will not be bouncing back this week. Mickelson has not enjoyed a great record at Riviera but his runner up placing last year, in his first visit in six years, indicates he feels more comfortable with it now perhaps.
Adam Scott is a previous winner here, albeit in a rain reduced 36 hole affair in 2005, but he also finished runner up to Sabbatini in 2006 and so not only is he playing here with a good record but he also arrives off the back of a win at the Qatar Masters where his brilliant final round of 61 left all in his wake.
As a previous winner at Riviera and amongst one of the most consistent performers in the game at present, Rory Sabbatini has a very good chance this week. He defeated Scott by one in 2006 and has been outside the top ten in only three of his last 13 starts worldwide.
Vijay Singh has yet to record a top ten at Riviera in six starts in this event but he showed late week that an ordinary run of form in recent weeks had come to an end with a narrow playoff loss to Steve Lowery at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mike Weir and Robert Allenby have also been recent winners in the event and both are playing well enough to again be a factor while Padraig Harrington gave an indication last week that he was warming to his task in 2008 and with a good showing last week at Pebble Beach he might just be a factor. Harrington led for 36 holes in his first time here last year before finishing 7th.
There is a great line-up of Australians including the aforementioned Scott and Allenby but there are many others more than capable of contending. Aaron Baddeley and Stuart Appleby are both in good form and both have played well at Riviera in the past and the same could be said for the resurgent Steve Elkington, who won the USPGA Championship at this venue in 1995.
Geoff Ogilvy, Nathan Green, Peter Lonard, Nick O’Hern, Rod Pampling, Mathew Goggin and Mark Hensby make for plenty of Australian interest.
