The mystery of Riviera: where golf’s greatest players struggle to win

Riviera Country Club is a haven for the stars of show business.

Situated in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles it has been the golfing home to screen stars such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Humphrey Bogart, singers like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, and also to comedy legends Larry David and Adam Sandler in modern times.

But while Hollywood’s finest have been besotted with it, golf’s greatest superstars have a rather more ambiguous relationship with the course.

This week’s PGA Tour event, the Genesis Invitational, has been played at Riviera 60 times since the tournament – originally know as the Los Angeles Open – was created exactly 100 years ago.

In all that time Bubba Watson has won three times with Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Lanny Wadkins and Tom Watson having claimed two wins apiece.

All five are big names but the two greatest golfers of all time – Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – have not won there.

Not even once!

And guess what? The two greatest golfers in the current generation – Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – are currently on track to repeat those winless records.

How has it happened? Why has it happened? And is it likely to go on?

Let’s take a closer look.

The Golden Bear and the Tiger at Riviera

The difficulties of the two GOATS at Riviera are all the stranger because the course has a place in both their hearts.

Riviera was the site of the professional debut of Nicklaus in 1962 (he earned $33) and Woods made his PGA Tour debut there when still an amateur, aged 16 in 1992.

In 12 Genesis Invitational (and two PGA Championship) starts at Riviera, Nicklaus was winless albeit he did finish second twice.

Woods was also second twice – in his case from 16 attempts to lift the trophy.

What makes Riviera tricky?

Starting from the tee it favours slightly longer than usual golfers which might explain why, in recent years, Watson has won three times, Mickelson twice and JB Holmes also landed a victory.

But elite approach work is also called for to greens that are slightly quirky in shaping.

And it’s often said that a left-to-right shape is ideal with the long game.

Around the green, a good short game is essential and the final tricky element is provided by the Poa Annua grass on the greens which produces a slightly gnarly surface.

All of those factors make you wonder why Nicklaus found it so difficult – he was an elite manager of his game and hit the ball left-to-right.

In the 2000s Woods also hit a fade and he was, of course, also magnificent in all areas of the game.

They’re not alone

Jordan Spieth is on record as saying that Riviera is among his favourite courses.

But he has played there 12 times and has just one finish better than ninth – when fourth in 2015.

“It just requires all parts of the game and a variety of ball-striking,” he said of the course.

“And then once you’re on the greens, you’ve got to have great speed control. It’s an all-around fantastic golf course that you don’t get away with poor shots at all.”

Is that all there is to it though?

Spieth went deeper in 2021.

“It’s one of those rare weeks where you just can’t get away with firing at flag sticks,” he said. “Precision is so key, but being smart and recognising when even being precise still won’t work out.

“There’s not much rough, but it does take the spin off enough so you can’t get into pins. So you just have to be so disciplined.

“You can’t afford to get short-sided and, like Augusta, you’ve got to work the ball off slopes and into pins.

“It’s why Bubba likes it so much, because of the shotmaking ability that he has and it just brings the feel out in his game.”

The Masters link

Ah, yes: Augusta National.

It is often noted that golfers who thrive at Riviera also play well at Augusta National so Spieth’s point is valid.

In recent times, multiple Riviera winners Mickelson and Watson have even become multiple winners at Augusta – and two-time Riviera champion Mike Weir has also won the Masters.

There’s something else that trio have in common: they’re all lefties.

Hang on, but why did Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods struggle?

Both Nicklaus and Woods were dominant at Augusta in their pomp.

They were smart golfers, too.

And they have proved themselves as winners at both Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach – the two other Californian courses with Poa Annua grass that the PGA Tour regularly stops at.

Ultimately, however, it is a mystery why two such superstars found the task of winning there impossible.

Nicklaus didn’t know the answer. He simply said, in 1994: “I’ve had some pretty good rounds here but never four that were good enough to win.”

Woods was also mystified.

“I know the golf course,” he said in 2023. “I also know I haven’t a lot of success here.”

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy

So what about today’s finest performers?

Scheffler has never finished better than seventh at the course and it is worse than that: he has never been within eight shots of the 54-hole lead either so has never come close to contending.

McIlroy has done better.

He was fourth in 2019 and was fifth in 2020 having been the 54-hole co-leader. But those are his best efforts in eight tries and he hasn’t been within nine shots of the 54-hole lead in his last three visits.

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