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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Riviera Could Pose Problems Kikuyu Rough, Spiked Greens Are The Talk Of Pga Championship

Associated Press

The talk is of kikuyu and Corey, shaping shots and spiked-up greens, memories of Hogan and whispered references to O.J.

The PGA Championship, the last of this year’s major titles, starts today at Riviera Country Club.

When all is said and done on Sunday afternoon, the PGA will have its 77th champion, and Corey Pavin could have moved from the guy who couldn’t to namesake for an era.

Only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus have won the U.S. Open and the PGA in the same year. Pavin could join them. That’s pretty elite company for a guy who two months ago was known as the best golfer who couldn’t win a major championship - before he won at Shinnecock.

Pavin has won the Nissan Open two years in a row on this course. He could join Hogan by winning at Riviera three times in two years, including a major.

But Pavin must be able to hit fairways and shape shots to fit the contours of Riviera and handle the recently redone greens that are damaged by spike marks alarmingly fast.

“It’s definitely a tournament where you are going to have to keep it in play to even have a chance,” British Open champion John Daly said.

“The course is playing really long,” said Daly who said his length will be helpful here “only if you are hitting the fairways.”

There are several buzz words for the week: Keep the ball in play, be able to bend the ball both ways, stay out of the kikuyu rough and don’t get frustrated by the spiked-up greens.

“It’s a good driver’s golf course,” Greg Norman said. “You’ve got to fit the ball a lot, hit a lot of shape shots. You have to hit it right-to-left, you have to hit it left-to-right.”

Nick Faldo says the kikuyu rough can be very difficult.

“If you just have a good hack at it, then it’s not so bad,” he said. “But it’s the delicate ones where you’ve got to land it a few yards which is very, very tricky.”

As much as the kikuyu rough is a danger, the greens have become a distraction. Rebuilt in 1993, the greens are still very soft and have not firmed up the way the players or organizers would have liked.

“It’s unfortunate,” Faldo said. “It brings a bit of luck into the game. You can hit a great shot here this week - 6 feet - and you’re going to have a bad run at it. There’s nothing you can do.”

As much as the words “kikuyu” and “spike marks” are spoken at Riviera, the words “O.J.” and “Nicole” are whispered. Simpson is a celebrity member at Riviera Country Club, where he played his last round of golf on June 12 of last year.

That round was played on the day Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were killed at her home not far from the course.