Good scoring, not so good forecast at Riviera
February 5, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AP)—A trio of champions are playing in the same group at Riviera,all of them with memories of winning in vastly different ways, starting withPhil Mickelson.
He’s the only guy who didn’t win the Northern Trust Open in a rain suit.
That’s a popular topic going into the second round Friday with rain in theforecast over the next two days, which would put a damper on a golf course thatplayers have described as nothing short of perfect.
Dustin Johnson had a one-shot lead over Andres Romero and Kevin Stadlerafter opening with a 7-under 64 that was close to flawless. Johnson was to playFriday afternoon, about the time rain was expected to arrive.
Stadler was an early starter, hopeful to beat the rain. Also playing earlyFriday was Brandt Snedeker and Ricky Barnes, who opened with 66, along withSteve Stricker (67), David Duval and Ernie Els, both of whom shot 68.
Another early starter is Mickelson, who is going for an unprecedented thirdstraight victory at Riviera. He opened with a 72 after making three bogeys onhis last four holes. “I had it right there … and I let it go,” Mickelsonsaid.
Mickelson’s partners for the first two rounds?
One of them is Adam Scott, whose victory at Riviera in 2005 comes with anasterisk at best. That was the year of so much rain that it took four days tocomplete 36 holes. One hole was played on Monday, a sudden-death playoff againstChad Campbell, who had not hit a shot that mattered in three days. Scott wonwith a par, although it didn’t count as an official win because it was only 36holes.
The other was Robert Allenby, whose victory comes with neither an asterisknor a plaque.
Allenby won a six-man playoff at Riviera in 2001 in a cold, steady rain byhitting 3-wood for his second shot into 5 feet on the fabled 18th hole. It was aremarkable shot, one deserving of a plaque if it was a major, or if Allenby’sname was Tiger Woods.
The Australian is used to being overlooked.
When he returned to Riviera as the defending champion, he had troublesregistering for the tournament because the volunteer behind the desk didn’trecognize him. Allenby had to point to the oil pointing of him in the clubhouse.
And he still laughs about one of the most famous putts ever holed on theisland-green 17th, in the third round of The Players Championship in 2001. Woodsmade a 60-foot putt from the back of the green, which took forever to reach thehole as it broke to the left, picked up speed and broke back to the right beforedisappearing into the cup.
Earlier that day, Allenby made the same putt—only longer. He was so farfrom the hole that his feet were on the wooden planks that frame the outer edgesof the green. There weren’t as many fans because this was early in the thirdround, not late in the day. Television had not come on. No cameras were there tocapture the moment.
One witness to the putt, oddly enough, was PGA Tour commissioner TimFinchem, who was coming in from a back gate.
This time of the year in California, when rain is in the forecast, it’s nota matter of if it shows up, but when. Far more difficult to project is how itaffects the tournament.
Mickelson, still bummed about the finish, suggested he might see smoothgreens Friday morning, but that the late starters could see softer conditions inthe rain. Lefty was in a tie for 102nd place among 132 players, so he needs agood second round to at least get in the hunt going into the weekend.
No one has ever won three straight years at Riviera, and Mickelson has neverwon three straight at any tournament. In his three previous attempts at three ina row—Tucson in 1997, San Diego in 2002, Hartford in 2003—he never crackedthe top 10.
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