Riviera Romance - Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and stars start hot in LA
4 Min Read
Jordan Spieth rolls in 20-footer for birdie at Genesis
LOS ANGELES – Leader Joaquin Niemann was blushing. Jordan Spieth gushing. And Justin Thomas effused his affection without fear. It was a real lovefest to open The Genesis Invitational.
The praise wasn’t for their own efforts. Or for the silky swing of a competitor. It was for Riviera Country Club. Or The Riv. Or just Riv… you see they’re even giving the course cute pet nicknames these days. It really is true love.
Bathed in Southern California sunshine and dripping with history, Riviera has long been a favorite stop for golfers. Ben Hogan made it his playground in the early days. In 1947-48 Hogan won The Genesis Invitational (then the LA Open) twice and the US Open all at Riviera. They coined it Hogan’s Alley. It was true love for him also.
It’s also long been the home to Hollywood elite. From Humphrey Bogart and Walt Disney to Larry David and Mark Wahlberg… word is Elizabeth Taylor learned to ride a horse here as a child star. Some say many of LA’s dramatic artists have learned to play love based off an actual love for this place.
Now that’s impressive. Because when it comes to love in Los Angeles, so often it’s not actually true love. It’s made to look like real love. Hollywood romances certainly can whisk us away into a dreamworld and if people think you’re a somebody in this town – well you can ride a tidal wave of affection coming from all angles.
But don’t be fooled. This is a town where your 15 minutes of fame usually lasts just 12. And celebrity relationships can be over five minutes after they’ve been spotted on TMZ and earned a combined moniker like “Bennifer”.
At Riv though, the love is real. Niemann was on cloud nine as he negotiated these 18 gorgeous holes sunk into the Santa Monica canyon in the Pacific Palisades. His incredible 8-under 63 meant his lead after the first round is three.
“It's got to be one of my best days on the golf course, especially in a place like this with this history. Riviera Country Club is one of my favorite golf courses and this event is my favorite during the year,” Niemann said giddily afterwards like a schoolkid with a crush.
Among those sitting second at five under are former housemates Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler. Their bromance has always been healthy but the 12-time TOUR winning Spieth and last week’s WM Phoenix Open winner Scheffler were also swept up by the siren song of George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell’s masterpiece on Thursday.
Spieth has history with Riviera, a venue that has been kind to many a Masters champion over the years. He’s looking to join the likes of Sam Snead, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Adam Scott who have triumphed in both spots.
“If I could pick one non major / PLAYERS Championship to win on the PGA TOUR, it would be here,” Spieth said. “I love Riviera. I think it's in the conversation as the best golf course in the world.”
Spieth’s Texan Longhorns won the National Championship over Justin Thomas’ Alabama Crimson Tide at Riviera, something he constantly reminds his friend about. That result, particularly a famous eagle hole out from the fairway on the difficult par-4 15th from Spieth that helped turn their match, gives Thomas a love/hate relationship with The Riv.
But Thomas fired a 4-under 67 of his own to sit tied sixth – on track to erase some of those college memories and the burn from losing a four shot 54-hole lead a few years ago to J.B. Holmes. Any hate was forgotten Thursday.
“This is the best golf course we play all year. I think you could probably ask the majority of the TOUR and we would play here every other week if we could,” Thomas espoused.
“It's just the perfect example of what I say all the time, that length isn't the answer. You've got zero rough out here, no hazards, no out-of-bounds and this place holds its own every single year. I love playing here.”
The top 11 ranked players in the world are all in the field this week – a testament to the popularity of the course. Of those, only Hideki Matsuyama (72) and Dustin Johnson (73) started over par. Seven of them sit inside the top 22 of the leaderboard.
Perhaps the fact the Genesis Invitational is an elevated PGA TOUR stop hosted by 82-time winner Tiger Woods and his TGR Foundation that offers a three-year exemption on TOUR and 550 FedExCup points helps with the love?
“You all know I love Tiger as much as anybody else, but no offense to him, I don't think it's him that people come here for,” Thomas said loud enough for the iconic gum trees and tricky poa annua greens around the property to soak in the sentiment. “It's just a great, great designed golf course.”
Let the love live on.