Riviera has a new president and major events are on their way
Los Angeles (AFP) – Megan Watanabe made her Riviera debut when her family bought the club in 1989. She took golf lessons and tennis lessons in the summer, left Japan to attend middle school and eventually went to Pepperdine to study art.
You never imagined where it would lead.
Watanabe is the first woman to head the legendary club. And while the Riviera is already considered among the top courses on the PGA Tour, it’s about to get more hits.
Riviera is celebrating its centenary in 2026 by hosting the US Women’s Open, its first women’s tournament. Golf’s participation in the Olympic Games program in Los Angeles in 2028 has been confirmed and will be held in the Riviera.
“We have always sought the majors,” said Watanabe, who spent 10 years as vice president before taking over as her father, Noboru. “In 2017, we had amateurs from the US and we kept looking for opportunities. We haven’t had the US Open since 1948.”
John Bodenhamer, chief tournament officer for the USA Federation, mentioned the upcoming changes to the US Women’s Open with a significant strengthening of portfolios and going to more historic clubs.
“The things he talked about really interest me,” Watanabe said. “Because we’ve never hosted a women’s tournament, that made sense. Also for the Olympics. I wanted the ladies to feel comfortable and experience the Riviera before the Olympics.”
Since 1948 in which Ben Hogan won the US Open, Riviera has hosted the two-time PGA Championship and US Open.
Watanabe has not ruled out the US Open yet again, which may seem like a long shot with the limited ownership in Riviera of the massive build the tournament requires.
Rivera was on the verge of hosting the US Open in December 2020 with no fans during the height of the pandemic until the British Open was postponed and the US Open moved from June to September and remained at Winged Foot.
Next year, the US Open will take place on the road from the Riviera to the Los Angeles Country Club, which has 36 holes and plenty of space. Watanabe preferred the comparison on the other side of the country. Merrion has competed in the 2013 US Open and will host it again in 2030 and 2050.
Merion is probably about the same size. My thinking is that if they can do it, I think we can do it,” she said. “Yes, parking is always a problem. If we had extra property to put in the cargo tent and corporate tent, that would be great. At the same time, I’d like to do a smaller show at the US Open. that can work. That’s what we’re doing well here.”
Reader Cup Committee
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were part of the first Ryder Cup committee that spun off the infamous cast after the 2014 games. Woods has been among three players on the six-member panel since then as part of a veteran crew.
Now the commission goes younger.
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are added to the panel, which includes US PGA President Jim Richerson, Vice President John Lindert, and CEO Seth Waugh.
Thomas, who has played for the latter two teams, said he was surprised to be approached and felt it was an honor.
“I feel it’s important to me,” he said. “I hope to play the Ryder Cup for the next 20 years. At least if I don’t play, which I hope to be, I want to be a part of it in some way to help us win.”
Spieth has played every Ryder Cup since Gleneagles in 2014.
“Very excited,” said Speth. “The job is to help further with the selection of the captain, to talk about the players experience both on and off the golf course, how it can be improved, and what frees us up to play our best golf game. It was nice to have the last Ryder Cup, as I was next to see what works. I think That I can provide useful input having participated in four teams.”
Speth said the first meeting was two weeks ago during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“A lot of them were asking me and Justin questions,” he said. “The cool part about it was the questions they asked us, and we were blatantly honest, from the clothes we were wearing to the festivities to how many dinners we do, and what kind of recovery tools and methods we have and access to. It was a good start.”
Major changes
Hidden away in the Masters’ Annual Media Guide there have been some changes to the Augusta National that will add 35 yards to the card, expanding the course to 7,510 yards.
The club said the 11th par-4 hole has the tee turned back 15 yards and to the left, making it play 520 yards. The driveway was redesigned and many trees on the right side were removed.
The par-5’s 15th hole has the new tee at 20 yards with the fairway reconfigured.
This means that par-4 11 will play longer than par-5 13, which remains unchanged at 510 yards. There was speculation that Number 13 would be lengthened after Augusta National bought space left over at Augusta Country Club.
But while the eleventh is longer, Rory McIlroy says that doesn’t mean it will be more difficult.
“I know they took the tee back to the left and to the left, so it’s much more straightforward than a shot on the right,” he said. “They widened the fairway and took a lot of trees. Although it is a longer hole, they made the tee shot and the second shot a touch easier.”
He believed that the biggest change was a sharp drop to the right of the green, which meant that the missing players would be within a few feet of the pot surface.
“It will make it more complicated,” he said.
When asked if he was happy not to change number 13, McIlroy smiled and said, “I’d be glad if they left everything alone.”
Players Advisory Board
The players spoke and Webb Simpson and Peter Malnati were voted on as co-chairs of the Players Advisory Board, which advises and advises the PGA Tour Board of Directors on tour issues.
Elected over Patrick Cantlay and Billy Horschel, they will join the Board of Directors next year for a three-year term.
“I feel like these are important times on the tour and I care a lot about the direction of the tour,” Malnate said. “We’ve been making decisions that have influenced the direction of the PGA Tour for decades. I want to have a seat in that room. I was thrilled that enough of my teammates wanted me to be there too.”
Riviera Olympics
The Riviera was the preferred golf choice at the Olympics. The first step was making sure the Olympics wanted golf.
The International Olympic Committee announced before the Beijing Olympics that golf would be part of the 2028 program. Among the guests at the Genesis Invitational was Anthony Scanlon, CEO of the International Golf Federation.
The next question for 2028 is whether Rivera will host two tournaments in one year.
The PGA Tour of Los Angeles was held in Valencia in 1998 when Rivera was at the US Open. The Los Angeles Open went to Rancho Park in 1983 while Rivera was preparing for the PGA Championship. But the PGA Tour and Pioneer were held in the same year in Riviera in 1948 (US Open) and 1995 (PGA Championship).
The bigger question is whether golf can expand its format to include a mixed-team event. The IOC didn’t want any changes for Paris in 2024. Los Angeles would be the next opportunity.
DIVOTS
Already inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, Julie Inkster received another major honor when she was selected to receive the Bob Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor in recognition of character, respect and sportsmanship. … David Feherty will host the induction party at the World Golf Hall of Fame this Players Week. The recruits are Tiger Woods, Susie Maxwell Burning, Tim Finchim and the late Marion Hollins. … Stu Francis completed his third and final year as president of the USGA. Fred Birbal was confirmed as president-elect at the annual meeting, which means that next year he will be the first black president of the USGA since its founding in 1894.
status of the week
Jon Ram had a 73 in the second round at Rivera, ending his 34-game streak of equal or better on the PGA Tour dating back to 71 in the first round at the British Open. During his streak, he had three equal tours in Spain on the European Tour.
last word
“I can’t wait for two or three years. I have to do it fairly soon.” Bernard Langer, 64, trying to break Hale Irwin’s record of 45 PGA Tour Champions wins. He won the Chubb Classic for his 43rd title.
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