Northern Trust Open Tournament Notes - 2013

image2013 Northern Trust Open pre-tournament notes

  • Dates: February 11-17, 2013

  • Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

  • Par/Yards: 35-36—71/7,349 yards Field:144 players

  • 2012 champion: Bill Haas, 277 (-7), defeated Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff

  • Purse: $6.6 million; $1,188,000 to the winner

  • FedExCup: 500 points to the winner

  • Format: Four-day, 72-hole stroke-play competition; 144 players, cut to low 70 and ties after 36 holes

  • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NorthernTrustOpen Twitter: @NTrustOpen

    How the 2012 Northern Trust Open was won by Bill Haas

  • In one of the most memorable finishes of the 2012 season, Bill Haas finished the tournament at 7-under-par and waited for the final pairing of Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley to play the 18th hole, both at 6-under and needing birdies to force a playoff.

  • With Mickelson and Bradley facing putts of 25 and 12 feet, respectively, Haas’ chances of winning in regulation looked good.

  • Both Mickelson and Bradley drained their putts, resulting in some of the loudest cheers of the year in the amphitheater at No. 18.

  • It was Haas who outdid both Mickelson and Bradley with his own 45-foot bomb for birdie on the second playoff hole (No. 10) to win his fourth career PGA TOUR event.

    Bill Haas at the 2012 Northern Trust Open

  • Was T1 in Total Putts for the week with 103 (with Keegan Bradley and Cameron Tringale).

  • Was his first top 10 in seven starts at the Northern Trust Open. His previous best finish was T12 in 2011.

  • Won the 17th playoff in tournament history.

    A look at the field

  • 20 of the 30 players who made it to the 2012 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola will play in the Northern Trust Open: Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Ryan Moore, Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Keegan Bradley, Bo Van Pelt, Carl Pettersson, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Scott Piercy, John Huh and John Senden.

  • From the Official World Golf Ranking, 18 of the top 30 are in the field and 25 of the top 50, the most players from the top 30 and top 50 in a tournament field so far this year on TOUR.

  • Stars making their 2013 PGA TOUR debut at the Northern Trust Open include Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell and Adam Scott.

  • Through the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, four of the six PGA TOUR winners from the 2013 season are in the field: Dustin Johnson (Hyundai Tournament of Champions); Russell Henley (Sony Open in Hawaii); Brian Gay (Humana Challenge); and Phil Mickelson (Waste Management Phoenix Open).

  • Past Champions of the Northern Trust Open who are in the field include Robert Allenby-2001; Fred Couples-1990, 1992; Ernie Els-1999; Bill Haas-2012; Charles Howell III-2007; Phil Mickelson-2008-09; Corey Pavin-1994-95; Rory Sabbatini-2006; Adam Scott-2005 (36 holes); and Mike Weir (2003-04).

  • Three of the four major championship winners from 2012 are in the field – Bubba Watson, Ernie Els and Webb Simpson.

  • Fred Couples will make his 31st start at the event and will surpass Gene Littler for the most starts in tournament history with 30. Couples will look to add to an already impressive resume at the Northern Trust Open. In addition to his two victories, Couples has collected 12 other top 10s, including runner-up finishes in 1993, 1994 and 1996. He held the 36-hole lead in 2011 at 8-under and was in contention in the final round after three-consecutive birdies to open the round, but fell off the pace after a double bogey at No. 7 and eventually finished T7.

  • On Tuesday, John Huh will officially be presented with the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year trophy. Huh is the first player of Asian descent to be voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, thanks in large part to a victory at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, where he survived an eight-hole playoff with Robert Allenby. Huh began the final round six strokes back, but posted a bogey-free, 8-under-par 63 to force the playoff. Huh entered the 2012 season without ever having played a PGA TOUR event. He was the only rookie to qualify for the 2012 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and just the fifth rookie to qualify for the TOUR Championship since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007. He was also the youngest player to qualify for the TOUR Championship since Sergio Garcia did so at age 21 in 2001.

  • On a course more known for demanding accuracy and precision rather than long drives and power, J.B. Holmes continues to have a stellar record at Riviera Country Club. In the last five years, dating back to his second start at the Northern Trust Open in 2008, Holmes has finished T7, T6, T3, T12 and T8, respectively.

    USC-UCLA Days

  • Corey Pavin, a two-time Northern Trust Open champion and University of California, Los Angeles alum, is joined by fellow Bruin Patrick Cantlay, who shot the lowest round in PGA TOUR history by an amateur at the 2011 Travelers Championship (60), as sponsor’s exemptions to this year’s event.

  • Pavin and Cantlay will have plenty of support at Riviera Country Club, especially on Saturday, February 16, which has been designated as “UCLA Day” at the Northern Trust Open. Fans can utilize a special offer code (BRUINS) to purchase a $65 ticket, which allows for access to the tournament grounds and Palisades Club. The Palisades Club is a new, open-air and tented hospitality venue with patios overlooking the signature par-4 10th hole and practice range.Upgraded food and beverage are available for purchase, and UCLA coaches and staff will make appearances throughout the day.The first 300 people in attendance for the third round will be provided a special “UCLA Day” Northern Trust Open hat, and $30 from each ticket purchased with the BRUINS code will be donated back to UCLA Athletics. UCLA alums Kevin Chappell, Brandt Jobe and John Merrick are also in the Northern Trust Open field.

  • Not to be ignored, University of Southern California fans can celebrate “USC Day” on Friday, February 15. The same offer and benefits as listed above for UCLA are available to USC supporters by using the special offer code “TROJANS.” KevinStadler, a USC alum, is scheduled to make an appearance in the Palisades Club on Friday, along with Athletic Director Pat Haden and Senior Associate Athletic Director J.K. McKay, USC coaches, staff, men’s and women’s golf teams and the USC Song Girls.

    2013 Northern Trust Open Exemption

  • Jeremiah Wooding, who was born in Orange County, Calif., and hails from Riverside, Calif., is in the field as the 2013 Northern Trust Open Exemption.

  • Wooding will make his first-career start on the PGA TOUR, following in the footsteps of his big brother, Joshua, who was awarded the Northern Trust Open Exemption in 2010.

  • A graduate of University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 2011, Wooding has conditional status on the Web.com Tour after advancing to the final stage of PGA TOUR Qualifying School in December.

  • Wooding, 24, was chosen from a pool of applicants to receive the exemption, created and sponsored by Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS).

  • The annual exemption provides an opportunity for a top golfer who represents the advancement of diversity in golf and wouldn’t otherwise be eligible to compete in the event. Wooding is the fifth recipient of the Northern Trust Open Exemption, following Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011) and Andy Walker (2012).

    PGA TOUR Wives Association 25th Anniversary

  • In honor of the 25th anniversary of the PGA TOUR Wives Association (PTWA), which was created in 1988 to support charities in communities visited on TOUR, the organization is proud to unveil a commemorative book entitled, “Beyond the Fairways and Greens: A Look Inside The Lives of PGA TOUR Families,” on Tuesday, February 12.

  • Published by Butler Books, the 384-page, hardbound book was compiled by members of the PTWA, and it offers readers a rare glimpse into the lives of PGA TOUR families, both on and off the course, as captured through heartwarming stories and family photographs.

  • The book retails for $50, with net proceeds benefiting PTWA-designated charities, such as Blessings in a Backpack. PGA TOUR players are recognizing the book launch and helping to celebrate the PTWA’s 25th anniversary by wearing commemorative pins this week during the Northern Trust Open. For more information, visit http://www.pgatourwives.org.

    Be The Match at City of Hope Tent

  • Located between the Grove and the 14th tee, fans are invited to come to the City of Hope Tent and participate in the bone marrow registry to join City of Hope and millions who have registered for the National Marrow Donor Program.

  • It’s fast, easy and completely painless. All it requires is a quick swab of the inside of your cheek.

  • City of Hope was one of the first medical centers in the nation to perform a successful bone marrow transplant for leukemia, in 1976. Since then, City of Hope has remained a leader in the field — home to one of the world’s largest and most successful transplant programs, with more than 11,000 procedures performed to date.

  • Partnering with Be The Match, City of Hope finds matches for patients in its transplant program and signs up potential donors who could save lives all over the world.

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