The PGA Tour will make the short trip to Los Angeles, California for the 2016 Northern Trust Open from the Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades this week. It’s another bad week for weather in the northern part of the country, so a lot of fans will be tuning into the golf events to get a taste of the sun.
This will be the 90th edition of this event dating back to 1926, which was previously known as the Los Angeles Open. Here is our weekly preview of the PGA Tour:
Event Details
Event: 2016 Northern Trust Open
Category: PGA
Date: February 18-21
Location: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
The Northern Trust Open has once again attracted a star-studded field led by two of the world’s top three players in Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. Three of the last five tournaments have ended in a playoff so if nothing else we can look forward to some big names and a strong likelihood this competition goes down to the wire.
Past Five Winners
2015 – James Hahn -6 (Playoff)
2014 – Bubba Watson -15
2014 – John Merrick -11 (Playoff)
2012 – Bill Haas -7 (Playoff)
2011 – Aaron Baddeley -12
What To Know About The Course
There are a number of interesting twists scattered throughout this course. The fairways are blanketed in kikuyu, which is a tough strain of grass imported from Africa over 80 years ago. There is a bunker in the middle of the par three 6th green and the 10th is a drive par four. Many of the fairways are hard to find with regularity and the grass tends grabs and bury the ball. If you’re betting the event, you’ll want to look for players with good driving accuracy off the tee. Riviera was the toughest par 71 on the PGA Tour last year as well as one of the toughest courses to make short putts. The fact that the course gets faster throughout the week will only make it more difficult.
The Field
Spieth will be the co-betting favorites to win outright this weekend with both him and Rory McIlory listed at +650 on the betting odds. Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Rose (who has two top 15 finishes at Riviera) are also among the favorites followed by the 2014 Northern Trust Open winner Bubba Watson, who is a strong value play listed at +2500 odds. James Hahn is the defending champion after winning last year’s Northern Trust Open, but is considered a long shot to win at +10000 odds. A lot of people will like Sergio Garcia’s prospects this week as he has finish in the top 11 in six straight events and he’s had plenty of close calls at Riviera in his past. Keep an eye on Charl Schwartzel, who won last week on the European Tour at the Tshwane Open.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jordan Spieth over Rory McIlroy
The top golfers in the field are listed as betting co-favorites to win, but the smart money will be on Spieth to finish ahead of McIlroy. The world No. 1 is coming off a disappointing finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Open and that should serve as added motivation for this week’s event. Spieth finished 12th here in 2014 and then fourth here last year and he should have the edge over McIlroy, who is making his debut at Riviera this year.
Top-Five Prediction: Bubba Watson
Watson won this event two years ago and yet somehow he is listed behind both Johnson and Matsuyama at +2500 odds to win this weekend. Those odds are too good to ignore and while he might not come out on top he should be in the mix at +400 to finish in the top-five. Watson is over the distraction that followed his comments before the Phoenix Open and after a missed cut at Pebble Beach he will be looking for a measure of redemption this week. Watson isn’t a lock to win this event, but he is a very strong choice to finish in the top-five.
Top 10 Odds To Win Northern Trust Open
Jordan Spieth +650
Rory McIlroy +650
Hideki Matsuyama +1550
Dustin Johnson +1550
Justin Rose +1650
Jimmy Walker +1850
Bubba Watson +2050
Sergio Garcia +2050
J B Holmes +2550
Charl Schwartzel +2850
