Video: Players Try Three Generations Of Clubs At Riviera

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To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first Glen Campbell Nissan Los Angeles Nissan Northern Trust Los Angeles Open, the PGA Tour set up clubs for the curious to try at what will be the final "Northern Trust" Open before Hyundai takes over in 2017.

Rory McIlroy, Kevin Na, Charley Hoffman, and Anirban Lahiri were among those who hit a variety of vintage clubs from the 1920's, 50's and 90's to commemorate the occasion. Many other players I witnessed--including some of the mid-30s variety who not a single person is paying money to see this week--passed.

From Adam Schupak's Golfweek.com roundup:

As if we needed any further proof that golf equipment has evolved, according to TrackMan data, McIlroy’s carry distance with hickory was 226.1 yards; he stepped it up to 269.9 with persimmon; and 270.6 yards with the original Callaway Big Bertha. When the tournament begins on Thursday, McIlroy likely will use his Nike Vapor 3-wood to avoid driving over the green.

The PGA Tour's highlights:

While we're acknowledging this anniversary, how about a shout-out to the folks who started the event with its eye-catching $10,000 purse, post-Rose Bowl date to attract media before they headed back to Union Station, and the inaugural winner at Los Angeles Country Club, Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper.

Here's a fun read from the late Mal Florence on the late Harry Cooper.

NoTrust: Ilini Golfer Qualifies, Spieth Helps Win $50K For UT

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Neither news item will impact your life a bit, but it's still neat for Charlie Danielson to come from University of Illinois to qualify for the Northern Trust Open after a 68 in Monday's collegiate showcase.

University of Texas kept up its good Riviera karma, earning another $50,000 for a program that won the 2012 NCAA's at the course. Jordan Spieth and friends won the pro-am portion of the gloriously warm winter day to kick of tournament week.

The full PGA Tour press release:

Charlie Danielson wins Northern Trust Open Collegiate Showcase, earns tournament exemption in this week’s field

University of Texas wins $50,000 for the school’s golf program
 
LOS ANGELES – Charlie Danielson shot a bogey-free 3-under 68 in today’s second Northern Trust Open Collegiate Showcase, the low score of the 14 collegians in the field – and the only player under par – earning the University of Illinois senior an exemption into this week’s Northern Trust Open at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.  In just the second iteration of the event, top PGA TOUR pros played alongside 14 standout collegiate golfers from across the country and two amateurs, representing their respective universities.  The professional and the two amateurs (not the collegian) teamed up in a best-ball competition and competed for the Collegiate Showcase Trophy and a donation of $50,000 to the university’s golf program.  That portion of the competition was won by the University of Texas, represented by PGA TOUR player Jordan Spieth, with a score of 10-under 61.
 
Each collegian played his own ball.  Danielson, playing with former University of Illinois star Scott Langley, finished three strokes ahead of Will Zalatoris from Wake Forest, last year’s winner of the Northern Trust Open Collegiate Showcase, and Jonathan Garrick from UCLA and will be making his first start in a PGA TOUR event.
 
“This was one of the cooler events I’ve had since I’ve been in college,” Danielson said following his round. “It means a lot to play this week at the Northern Trust Open because I was fortunate enough to be able to come on the trip because our team had such a great year. And to come play with donors and coach Small, it was a treat. To play in my first PGA TOUR event and have it be at Riviera, here at the Northern Trust Open, I am just grateful for the opportunity.”
 
Danielson, a senior at the University of Illinois, is a two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection (2014, 2015). He reached the round of 16 at the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Danielson is also a three-time PING All-American and won the 2014 Les Bolstad Award for having the lowest season stroke average in the Big Ten. In the fall, he finished in the top 10 in all three of Illinois’ tournaments, including two top-5 finishes, and he led the team in stroke average.
 
“He’s a great player,” said Langley, Danielson’s PGA TOUR playing partner for the day. “He’s definitely going to be out on the PGA TOUR someday.”

A few images of Spieth and Texas's Beau Hossler, who had a gallery of a 100 braving the warm, dry weather for a rare chance to watch the World No. 1 golfer coming off of one of golf's all time greatest seasons.


AT&T Saturday Preview: Hide Your Cell Phones From Bill Murray

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Another brutal CBS-produced Golf Channel telecast aired Friday from the otherwise-glorious-looking Pebble Beach. The whole mess reminded us that no plug is off-limits to producer Lance Barrow. (We even got a FedEx VP briefcase going for 3 minutes on the greatness of the FedExCup. In February.)

And I won't even get into all of the other B-listers and missed great rounds from Phil Mickelson (Jason Sobel report here) and Sung Kang (Mike McCallister's PGATour.com report here).

However...there could be drama at AT&T Saturday in between shots of the PNC Chairman and favored CBS Pacific Grove eateries when Bill Murray returns, except with apparent issues (at times) with fans wanting selfies.

A few of you up at the tournament sent in reports, and Gossip Cop was brave enough to report on Murray heaving some cell phones off a restaurant balcony Thursday night.

On Thursday night, Murray was at the restaurant Vesuvio, where Justin Timberlake was throwing a party for his 901 tequila, when a number of fans bombarded the comedic actor and started repeatedly taking flash photos of him. Murray, who’s usually very accommodating, became annoyed with the too-close-for-comfort fans, and grabbed some of their phones and tossed them over the restaurant’s second floor rooftop

Jordan Spieth Rested And Has His Speeds Back

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With a week off following his trips to Abu Dhabi and Singapore where he complained of fatigue, Jordan Spieth says a week off has him refreshed and ready for Pebble Beach.

Will Gray reports for GolfChannel.com:

“I feel great. I feel very rested now,” Spieth said Wednesday. “It’s amazing what a solid week back here of kind of rest and regeneration will do. My speeds are where they need to be, my rest is back, everything feels good.”

Speeds? Could a Spieth linguistics slideshow be looming somewhere down the line?

Spieth and Jake Owen tee off at 11:55 Thursday with Dustin Johnson and Wayne Gretzky. Gray previews that and other notable celebrity/pro groupings.

Wasted: Big Four Coronation Still On Hold

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With a two-stroke lead and two to go, social mediasphere was celebrating the Big Four's official arrival.

One hole at a time, millennials. It's an old saying.

Rickie Fowler's adrenaline-fueled power added to the legend when he hit a perfect cut right through the par-4 17th green and into the hazard. For a change, Rickie's ability to drive 360 yards under pressure proved less-than-handy, and the Waste Management Open title was up for grabs. The huge crowds got the drama they craved, just not the dream winner, as John Strege notes.

Slow poke Hideki Matsuyama eventually won a three-hole playoff, but it'll be the Big Four deprivation and 17th hole that are this week's big takeaways.

First, the shocking tee shot (shocking in club selection and power):

Fowler was shocked by the distance of the shot, not but the club selection. From Brian Wacker's game story:

“Usually don't expect it to hit on the downslope and then go 360,” he said. “So that was a bit unfortunate. I hit it right on line, hit it exactly where I was looking. That's kind of the unfortunate part, to hit the shots that I did and to pull them off, and then it kind of backfired there.”

Rickie got emotional about losing the lead:

The official highlights:

Poll: Where Are You With Bubba Watson?

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We've gone through the traditional Bubba Watson controversy (again) this week. As with past brouhahas, they play out with amazing consistentcy:

--He speaks honestly in shocking, out-of-the-blue fashion

--He gets ripped by the (social and mainstream) media he hates, but never reads yet knows will only take the negative angle

--He spent a day or two with the much-wiser and grounded wife bending his ear, gets booed at the 16th hole.

--He apologizes just as he has done before (video version), appreciating the accountability of it all

We will go through this many more times with him and unless he starts picking on innocent kids or other less fortunately souls, I really don't see the big deal. He's different, odd, knows he has ADD issues at the very least and maybe is a little bit of a mad genius. We don't want him to be like everyone else, do we?

I'm also sympathetic because when he's on, he's such a joy to watch play golf. The TPC Scottsdale should be a showcase for his talent, but I sense much of his meltdown this week was prompted by disdain for the place, only heightened by Tom Weiskopf's anti-long driving changes to the course. Several players last week were dreading the event for the first time because of the course, not the noise or the party scene or whatever else might be a deterrent. And you can read between the lines of player comments, like Mickelson's remarks, including that TPC Scottsdale shifted from an offensive to a defensive course. Bubba just happened to be more blunt in sharing his views.

I could go on about the aesthetic nightmare it has become, with more overseeded rye grass and blinding bunkers viewable from outer space, but it won't do any good. The old lunar landscape is gone.

But back to Bubba...where does his latest controversy leave you with one of golf's most fascinating stars?

Where do you stand with Bubba?
 
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