If Riviera Is Host, They’ll Be Guests

What’s keeping Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, John Daly, Corey Pavin, Ben Crenshaw, Steve Elkington, Justin Leonard and many other pro golfers in California this week?

It’s not gravity. It’s not because they simply can’t get enough of our wonderful freeways. It’s obviously not the sunshine.

Mostly, it’s Riviera Country Club, where the $1.2-million Nissan Open begins Thursday and once again plays a vital role annually in signaling something close to a rite of passage for the PGA Tour.

First, you have a tournament site that actually has some history attached to it instead of some new housing development. There are no condos on Hogan’s Alley.

It also keeps the West Coast from falling off the face of the earth, and you know how messy that could be. The tournament at Riviera is the last of the so-called West Coast events--two are in Arizona--that kick off the PGA Tour schedule each year.

From here, the professional golfers set up shop in Florida, where the year unofficially begins. That’s when Nick Price makes his tour debut, when Greg Norman reappears and when the fields are just a little bit deeper than last week’s in Honolulu, where you could see your feet under the water.

Only two of last year’s top 20 money-winners played the Hawaiian Open. The Buick Invitational at La Jolla the week before was loaded, but many of the touring pros decided it was time to get ready for Florida as soon as Davis Love III won it.

Riviera’s job is to keep the players in California another week and it seems to have done that pretty well. The Nissan Open wound up with eight of the top 20 players from last year’s money list, all four winners from the 1995 majors (Crenshaw, Pavin, Daly, Elkington), the hottest player on the tour (Mickelson), the Hawaiian Open winner (Jim Furyk), the People’s Choice (Couples) and the last two Ryder Cup captains (Lanny Wadkins, Tom Kite).

It’s not exactly an accident that the Nissan Open is scheduled as the final West Coast event. Put another tournament in that last week and big-name entries would be harder to find than a dry green at Riviera.

“It’s the AT&T; and then us, as far as a draw,� tournament director Tom Pulchinski said. “Naturally, we’d like to have a few more international players, but that’s not just us, it’s the whole West Coast.�

Price hasn’t played a PGA Tour event this year. Norman played one, at La Costa. Part of the reason is they have played in their home countries, Price in South Africa and Norman in Australia. Part of the reason is appearance fees. Another reason is the amount of money players make in special events in November and December, which used to be the off-season.

Pavin made $1.465 million in three off-season events and two of them were only two days. He played at La Costa and joked about the off-season schedule.

“The players used to come in here and say they’re rusty,� he said. “Now they say they’re tired.�

Pavin tied for seventh, won $30,625--and took the next six weeks off.

“It’s not that I’m tired,� said Pavin, explaining why he built in rest time. “If you don’t, you can go crazy.�

Until that happens, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem may need to come up with an answer before the whole West Coast feels the same way.

Finchem isn’t sure that the off-season events are hurting the West Coast portion of the schedule, but he’s concerned enough to consider limiting television releases that allow the players to take part in the off-season tournaments.

“If it gets to a level where they are detracting from our basic product, then we’d have to do something,� Finchem said.

Of course, it’s not that simple. Seven of the off-season events are sanctioned by the PGA Tour, which also is mandated to provide job opportunities for its member players.

As for the Nissan Open, Pulchinski is hoping for a good week. That would include Riviera’s greens draining from Monday’s rain and getting firm enough so no one needs a map to putt on them because of all the spike marks and heel prints.

The field is better than expected, principally due to the late entries of Couples, Daly, Mickelson and Tom Lehman. But the future is a little uncertain.

The tournament’s contract with title sponsor Nissan ends after next year’s event. In 2000, it’s the last year of the Junior Chamber of Commerce’s deal to stage the tournament at Riviera.

What may be an even more pressing issue is the tournament’s prize money. At $1.2 million, it was increased from $1 million two years ago, but it’s already in danger of being left behind.

For instance, the prize money at next week’s Florida opener, the Doral-Ryder Open at Miami, is $1.8 million. Pulchinski said the junior chamber’s golf advisory committee and board of directors have begun discussions about increasing the prize money for the Nissan Open.

“Maybe we need to do it so we can keep up with the Joneses in that arena,� Pulchinski said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Week at Riviera

* Today--Practice rounds. Long drive exhibition, noon. Celebrity long drive competition, 12:30 p.m. Shootout, 1 p.m.

* Wednesday--Pro-Am, begins at 6:40 a.m.

* Thursday-Sunday--Nissan Open.

* Ticket--Daily grounds passes $20. Seniors $15. Season pass $60.