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The Battle for LA - Riviera vs. LACC - Match Play - FINAL

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PCCraig:
Both opening holes at these George Thomas designed courses start with short, reachable par-5's.


Riviera


One of the more famous opening tee shots in golf, the player stands (literally) in the shadow of one of the most famous clubhouses in golf. There is a significant amount of width off the tee, but much of it is covered in rough.





The 2nd shot is played over a barranca, and the primary challenge is to line up the best angle for a putt or chip to that day's pin for your third.





The green at Riviera's first is extraordinary for its horseshoe nature, and the severity of its fronting greenside bunker. There is a major difference in difficulty depending on the hole location. On the left, the layup is relatively simple and a 4 would be a likely score. A pin on the right would require a fairly testy chip either over the bunker (as shown above) or from rough short right of the green. Certainly the strategy would be improved if the short grass was expanded significantly short and right of the green.


LACC

Much as with Riviera, the first tee at LACC brings the player a tremendous sense of place as it sits in the shadow of a sprawling white clubhouse, terrace, and putting green. Not to mention the row of rose bushes planted by George Thomas himself.


While not elevated in the same way, the hole flows downhill with the Beverly Hilton serving as the primary backdrop in the distance.





The tee shot has width as well, yet this width is in the form of 150 yards of short grass. The strategic interest comes from either carrying the shorter bunker on the right, or hugging the left bunker for a better angle of attack on the 2nd shot.





The green, while not as visually dramatic as Riviera's horseshoe, is shaped almost as a redan with a huge amount of slope from short right to back left. Any lay ups must take on a huge fairway hazard 80 yards short right. Any approach to this green requires a ball to land well short of its target. The player then hopes for a good bounce, but not too much of a bounce as long of the green is a severe drop off.


LACC gets the slight edge due to the added strategic interest from tee to green.


Match


LACC - 1 up

Adam Lawrence:
Ooh this is going to be good. How are you going to work Fowler’s Little Seventeenth in? :)

John Mayhugh:
Surprising that no one has done this before.

Fairway width on 1 at Riv is silly, but the green complex sublime. The second shot is plenty interesting. Going for the green is tempting, but positioning is important. The left bunker 100 yards short complicates a layup.  I would give the edge to Riviera.

Brent Carlson:
I would halve the first hole as neither one stands out above the other.  The tee shot at Riv is cool having your name called out.  Rustic Canyon has a better opening par-5 than both, with more interest and strategy.

Kalen Braley:
I guess the natural question is since when was Bel-Air deemed chopped-liver in the Battle for LA?  Especially now that its been returned to its former glory...

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