For a kid from Texas, it’s interesting how Riviera Country Club in the heart of Los Angeles can feel like a second home.
This is after all one of three layouts, along with the sixth hole at Carnoustie and Colonial C.C., dubbed Hogan’s Alley after Texas legend Ben Hogan, and the rolling layout was nearly enough to woo the Dallas-born Jordan Spieth to the West Coast to attend college.
“In all honesty, a huge thing for me was I heard that [USC] had four playing memberships at Riviera,” Spieth said on Tuesday at Riviera. “When I came on my visit, I was offered one of the memberships at Riviera for the time you're at USC, and that's a pretty awesome perk.”
It wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school that the would-be world No. 1 would decide to stay closer to home and attend the University of Texas, but his relationship with Riviera was far from over.
When I came on my visit, I was offered one of the memberships at Riviera for the time you're at USC, and that's a pretty awesome perk.
This is Spieth’s fourth time playing the Northern Trust Open, having missed the cut in 2012, tying for 12th in ’14 and finishing one shot out of a playoff last year.
And, of course, there was the 2012 NCAA Men’s Championship when Spieth beat Justin Thomas, 3 and 2, to help lead the Longhorns to the national title.
On Monday during a qualifying round with current Longhorn Beau Hossler, Spieth literally took a stroll down memory lane at Riviera.
“Me and [Texas golf coach John Fields] were recalling, kind of letting Beau in, hey, this is where this match was, and this is where I holed out to beat Justin Thomas, and oh, let's take a video and send it to Justin of the 15th hole,” Spieth laughed.