Baddeley Secures Northern Trust Open

Aaron Baddeley of Australia poses his wife Richelle, daughters Jewel and Jolee 

Padraig Harrington opened the final round of the Northern Trust Open with two consecutive birdies but recovered to make the turn in level par and added a similar back nine to finish one over par at the Riviera Country Club in a share of 55th place on 2 over par - well outside the three way battle between Aaron Baddeley, Fred Couples and Vijay Singh.

Aaron Baddeley raised his arms when his last putt dropped into the cup Sunday in the Northern Trust Open as his wife and two young daughters came over to share the moment - perhaps the only people that might have been cheering him on at the Pacific Palisades venue in California.

Baddeley could hear chants of "Freddie!" at every turn, and it got even louder when Fred Couples birdied the opening three holes to take the lead. 

"I thought Freddie was going to be tough today because winning is a skill, and Freddie has been winning quite often recently," Baddeley said. "When he got off to a good start, I was like, 'Freddie looks like he's going to have one of those days where he's going to play great.' I was still just trying to focus on my game, and try to do what I needed to do."

He did just enough.

In a battle of generations, the 29-year-old Australian made his best putt after his only big mistake and closed with a 2-under 69 to hold off Vijay Singh and Couples, and win for the first time in four years.

Baddeley wound up with a two-shot win over Singh, who turns 48 on Tuesday. The big Fijian closed with a 69 for his best finish in more than two years. Couples, who still had hope on the 16th, bogeyed two of the last three holes and shot 73 to tie for seventh in his bid to become the PGA TOUR's oldest winner in more than 35 years.

"I'm a golfer, so I'm disappointed," Couples said.

With his tender back, it only took one hole for the 51-year-old Couples to fall apart. Tied for the lead, he pushed his tee shot into the barranca to the right of the seventh fairway in grass so thick he had trouble finding his ball. Couples gave it a ferocious whack, and the ball came out to the left and into a bunker. He wound up making double bogey, a three-shot swing when Baddeley holed a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe.

"I just didn't feel the same after that," Couples said. "I didn't really hurt myself, but I never hit a shot, and I just got it around. I mean, I couldn't hit an iron. I hit a few good drives, but I was afraid to hit the ground, hitting it that hard out of that stuff. I did get off to a good start, and that was where it ended.

"It's nothing bad," he said. "I'm not having any excuse. It's just after that point, I never hit a shot."

It was the third career PGA TOUR win for Baddeley, whose game had slipped so much that he had plunged to No. 224 in the world. This isn't enough to get back into the top 50, but at least he can book a trip to Augusta National in April for the Masters.

Singh, who only three weeks ago had fallen out of the top 100 in the world for the first time in more than 21 years, had his highest finish since he won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008 on his way to winning the FedExCup. Despite back-to-back bogeys on the back nine, he gave himself a chance to the very end.

Singh said it was the best week with the putter in his career, which would include his 2000 Masters victory. He took only 105 putts for the week, including just one three-putt in the second round.

"That's a great, great thing to have when you're putting well," Singh said. "I haven't done that for a long, long time. This is going to get me some places."

Baddeley, who finished at 12-under 272, won for the first time since the 2007 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He had been one of the early proponents of the "Stack & Tilt" swing method until deciding to go back to his old teacher, Dale Lynch, two years ago. His goal was to be able to move the ball both ways without having to think about it, and the swing held up just fine on a sunny afternoon along Sunset Boulevard.

"To be honest, it felt like coming home," Baddeley said of his return to Lynch, his first coach as a teenager in Australia. "Dale and I have spent a lot of hours together, and at times it's been frustrating, but like I said, that end product ... we knew what we were working toward, and that was the key."

Kevin Na made good putts on the last two holes for a 71 that put him alone in third place.

Couples was showing his age on the practice range, where his back is so tender that he only warms up with a driver and fairway metals to stay more upright. With a driver in hand, he teed up two balls at a time to keep from stooping over.

On the course, he looked like the Couples of old.

Couples opened with three straight birdies to bring Riviera to life, just like the old days. He chipped in for birdie from just off the second green, pointing his club to the cup with his left hand in a pose that has become familiar over the years. Then came a 20-foot birdie on the third to give him the outright lead.

But it started to come undone on the par-3 sixth, where the tee was moved forward and the pin was front and right, away from the bunker in the middle of the green. He flared it to the right and missed a 4-foot par putt.

And then came what he called a "comedy of errors" on the seventh.

Equipped with the lead, Baddeley never let it go. His only mistake was hitting into the trees on consecutive shots and missing a 2-foot putt to take double bogey on the 12th. Baddeley responded swiftly, making a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe with 8 feet of break.

He made pars the rest of the way, and no one could catch him.

"It's definitely been a couple of long years, but it was worth every bit," Baddeley said. "I really feel that the last couple years is actually what made it easier today ... the character that was just built in me."

Northern Trust Open Results

Harrington Cards 75 at Northern Trust

Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington came through the third round at the Northern Trust Open on Saturday in a four over par 75 after dropping two shots, along with a double bogey on the par four 12th, at the Riviera Country Club to slip back to a share of  51st place - one over par overall in only his second PGA Tour outing of the season.

 

Overnight leader Fred Couples had a similarly disappointing day highlighted on the 10th when he hit a poor wedge, knocked a putt over the back of the green and turned a potential birdie into bogey to slip three shots behind Aaron Baddeley in the Northern Trust Open. 

Then came a pounding rain as Couples approached the toughest stretch of the course, and the 51-year-old with an aching back braced for the worst.

"I was thinking, 'What am i going to shoot on the back nine, 40?'" Couples said. "You start playing like those guys did yesterday in that weather, anything would have happened."

Something did. The rain stopped. Couples played the rest of the way in 1-under par, keeping alive his hopes of another win at Riviera, and a chance to become the oldest PGA TOUR winner in more than 35 years.

Even in good weather, it might not be easy.

Baddeley, whose career once held so much promise when he won the Australian Open as an 18-year-old amateur, is starting to hit his stride since returning to longtime swing coach Dale Lynch. He played 22 holes on Saturday in all kinds of weather and hit just about every shot where he was aiming, including a few putts.

He birdied the 18th in the morning chill to finish off a second-round 69, then ran off three straight birdies around the turn that led to a 4-under 67 and his first 36-hole lead on the PGA TOUR in five years.

Baddeley was at 10-under 203, one shot clear of Couples and Kevin Na, who grew up in Southern California and attended his first PGA TOUR event at Riviera in 1995 when he was an 11-year-old with big dreams. Na also shot a 67.

"Tomorrow is going to be a good challenge for all of us," Baddeley said.

Winless in four years, Baddeley probably could not have guessed that the challenge would come from a couple of guys who are nearly old enough to be his father.

Couples, who joined the PGA TOUR the year Baddeley was born, wound up with a 70.

One shot behind was Vijay Singh, who turns 48 on Tuesday and is trying to climb out of the worst slump of his career. He felt like the world's best putter in the third round, finishing with a birdie on the tough 18th for a 67.

Singh last won in 2008 at the Deutsche Bank Championship on his way to the FedEx Cup title.

"I'm really fired up for tomorrow," Singh said. "I'm in a good position to win tomorrow, so we'll see what happens."

Baddeley's last victory was in 2007 at the Phoenix Open. Later that year, he had a two-shot lead going into the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont, only to close with an 80. His game was in such disarray that he has plunged to No. 224 in the world ranking.

"It's been a little bit of time since I've been in this position, so I'm excited for the challenge," Baddeley said. "I'm excited to test out the new action, and I feel good. I feel like it's going to be fun tomorrow."

Baddeley was among those who went to the "Stack and Tilt" method taught by Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, then decided to go back to his Australian coach, Dale Lynch.

"It's funny because I feel like I've been actually making a lot of progress, but it was never really showing on the scoreboard," Baddeley said. "So these last few weeks have really been nice to start to put some scores on the board. This week has been really nice."

And there was one nice stretch in particular.

It started with a tough approach to the par-4 eighth, where Baddeley had to be careful not to be too aggressive and run off the slope on the other side of the pin. He put it to within 8 feet for birdie, then holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the ninth. He nearly drove the 10th green, leaving him a delicate pitch to tap-in range for his third straight birdie.

One of his few mistakes was a tee shot that led to an adventure through the trees on the par-5 11th. It looked as though he would escape with par when he hit a wedge out of the rough to 4 feet, but he missed the putt.

He finished with seven straight pars.

Ryan Moore (70) and John Senden (71) were at 6-under 207, while Stewart Cink (71) and Robert Allenby (71) were part of the large group another shot behind.

Defending champion Steve Stricker made the cut on the number, then had a 66. That still left him seven shots behind. Stricker is still closer than Phil Mickelson, who struggled to a 74 and was at 2-over 215.

The gallery was with Couples, who first won at Riviera in 1990 when his hair was brown and he ambled along with California cool. Couples still has the cool factor to go with his graying hair, and he still has enough game.

He narrowly missed a 15-foot eagle putt on the opening hole. He made only one other birdie on the par-5 11th, and otherwise settled for pars except for his lone bogey. It was enough, though, to keep him in the game.

"I hung in there," Couples said. "I didn't hit the ball exceptionally well, but I hit it solid, which is what I said I needed to do. I just didn't make enough birdies. So tomorrow I have to come out and fight and see what happens."

Couples was one of the players Na wanted to watch when he came out to Riviera with his father in 1995. Now he will be playing with him in the final group, a chance for Na to get his first victory. And it would be a special one at that.

Not only does he have childhood memories of Riviera, his father was diagnosed with leukemia last year and has returned home to his native South Korea for treatment.

"My mother is going to Korea next week," he said. "And hopefully, I can give her a trophy so she can give it to him."

Northern Trust leaderboard

Fred Couples Back at the Top with 66

Fred Couples at Northern Trust Open

Padraig Harrington made the turn in a two under par 33 on Friday at the Riviera Country Club dropping two shots, amidst four birdies, at the Northern Trust finishing with a level par 71 after a double bogey on the par four 13th to end the second day 3 under overall - five shots behind tournament leader, Fred Couples.

Despite a bad back that hurts when he stoops over a short iron, Couples navigated around his favourite TOUR course without a bogey Friday for a 5-under 66 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open.

It helped that he knocked in an eagle putt of nearly 100 feet on his opening hole, along with a pair of 30-foot birdie putts. But even for a 51-year-old well past his prime, he was carried along by a languid swing and his love for Riviera.

"I feel like I can play this course blindfolded," Couples said.

Some of his peers couldn't believe what they saw.

"He played like he was my age," said 25-year-old Anthony KIm,  who was paired with Couples and was nine shots behind. "He was loose, swinging hard. He hit some quality shots, some aggressive shots. It doesn't hurt that he's won here a couple of times. He just knows what he's doing out here."

Couples first played Riviera three years before Kim was born. 

He won in 1990 and 1992, back when his hair was brown, not mostly gray, and when he didn't have to get up at 4 a.m. to stretch out his back so he could make it to the first tee.

It was tough for others, too. The wind and rain arrived in the afternoon, making Riviera so difficult that some medium-length hitters couldn't reach the par-4 18th with a driver and a 3-wood.

Of those who didn't finish the round before it was suspended by darkness,Spencer Levin was at 6 under with three holes remaining, while Aaron Baddeley was at 5 under with four holes to play.

Couples has not been atop the leaderboard through 36 holes since 2004 at the old Buick Classic at Westchester.

The affection from the gallery hasn't changed, especially at Riviera.

From the other side of the par-5 first green, Couples rapped a putt and watched it roll some 100 feet toward the cup and drop for an eagle. The cheer was loud enough for players still on the practice range to look up.

One player jokingly said, "Couples just made a 10-footer for par."

Paul Casey, who had a 67 and was four shots back, played in the group behind Couples. Asked how it felt to trail a 51-year-old who can barely bend over to tie his shoes, Casey started laughing.

"Every time I looked ahead, he's stretching his back, his hand is on his hip," Casey said. "We all know Freddie. He looks like he doesn't care. He looks like he's in pain. He could be on any score. And the fact he's on 8 under is brilliant."

Couples was at 8-under 134 heading into what could be a soggy weekend. The rain began to fall late in the afternoon as half of the field was trying to cope with tougher conditions.

J.B. Holmes was tied for the lead until a double bogey on the last hole gave him a 69. He was at 6-under 136, along with John Senden (69).

Trevor Immelman and Stewart Cink each had a 67, perhaps the rounds of the day considering they played the final two hours in the rain and wind. They were at 5-under 137, along with Robert Allenby, whose finish showed how tough it was.

He ripped a driver and hit a full 3-iron that still wasn't enough on the 464-yard ninth hole, and he three-putted from the front of the green for a 70.

Phil Mickelson struggled with his irons on his way to a 70 that put him seven shots behind, although not terribly worried.

"I'm not pleased being in the position where I'm at, but it could be a lot worse," Mickelson said. "And I should be within striking distance if I can go out and shoot some hot round tomorrow."

That he would be trying to catch up to Couples was surprising given his age and his health. Casey, however, said course knowledge and good vibes only go so far.

"I don't care how well he knows this course, and he probably knows it as well as the members," Casey said. "It doesn't matter if you don't hit the golf ball where you need to."

Such is his affection for Riviera that Couples didn't think twice about playing this week -- even though he is the defending champion at the Champions Tour event in Naples, Florida

"I don't think anyone is mad. Besides Augusta, it's my favourite spot," Couples said. "I don't think it's a slap in the face if they just look where I live and my schedule and how I play here. It would take two seconds to figure it out."

Couples not only has two wins at Riviera, he has four top 10s in the last decade and nearly had a chance to win two years ago until he butchered a 9-iron into the 18th with a chance to put pressure on Mickelson.

He was 49, and that figured to be his last chance to win on TOUR.

Yet here is again, twisting and stretching, taking left-handed baseball swings with his putter while trying to keep loose. The hardest part for Couples after his round was climbing the 100-foot hill toward the clubhouse to sign his card.

When the TOUR asked him to visit the GOLF Channel's booth, Couples said, "Can't do it."

"I'm ready for a nap," he said.

He was up at 4 a.m. to stretch and get treatment on what he called a "back machine." It was still dark when he got to the practice range, and he kept to his routine in which he only hits long clubs -- the driver, 5-wood and hybrids -- because to bend over a short iron hurts. He'd rather wait until the shot counts to do that.

"I don't consider this warming up," Couples said. "I just think it's waiting for my tee time to come."

And he came out swinging, with the long eagle putt on No. 1, a 35-foot birdie putt on the ninth, a 30-footer on the 15th and a series of scary putts in the 5-foot range for pars. He has gone 32 holes without a bogey at Riviera.

For two rounds, he looks as young as ever. But that only goes so far.

He went to see "The Social Network," but only because it starred Justin Timberlake. Couples still doesn't know what Facebook is all about. Remember, it was only two years ago that he started sending text messages (he received one after his round from Tiger Woods).

As for Twitter? Uh, no.

"If I did Twitter, would I tell people that I'm heading home and then going to eat at California Pizza Kitchen? Is that what you do? Or do you actually tweet information?" he said. "Well, what information do I have for my 500,000 followers? I'm 51. I live in the desert. They all know that already.

"If you guys write well enough, they'll know that I'm in good shape going into tomorrow. I don't need to tweet anybody."

Northern Trust leader board

Harrington in Early Riviera Mix

Padraig Harrington and caddie, Ronan Flood

Padraig Harrington opened  with a three under par round of 68 in his second PGA Tour event of the season at the Northern Trust Open to finish one shot behind the leading group on Thursday at the Riviera Country Club in California.


Ten years after Robert Allenby won a six-man playoff at Riviera, he was part of a nine-way tie for the lead Thursday in the Northern Trust Open.

Allenby kept it simple on a gorgeous day along Sunset Boulevard with a 4-under 67 that turned out to be enough for a share of the lead when former Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin faltered late.

It was the highest score to lead after one round at Riviera in 15 years.

Also atop the leader board when play was suspended by darkness were John Senden, Martin Laird, Spencer Levin, Aaron Baddeley, Ben Martin, Bill Haas, Carl Pettersson and J.B. Holmes.

Peter Tomasulo could join them if he makes a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole when he resumes his round Friday morning. As it is, the PGA TOUR said nine players tied for the lead were the most after any round since it began keeping records in 1970.

In what might be the best weather all week, no one separated himself in mild temperatures, a light breeze and a sky clear enough to offer a peek of the Pacific Ocean through the eucalyptus trees.

A few players managed to stand out.

Dustin Johnson's caddie thought his tee time was 40 minutes later than it really was, so Johnson was on the practice range in the middle of his warm-up routine when he was supposed to be high on the hill on the first tee. Johnson was penalized two shots, and nearly was disqualified. Players have five minutes to get to the tee, and Johnson got their with 6 seconds to spare.

He ended with a 73.

Then came the retro movement of Pavin and Fred Couples, who combined to win this tournament four times during a six-year stretch in the early 1990s. Couples, whose back is in such bad shape that he's going for treatment next week, made three straight birdies at the turn and shot a 68.

Pavin was the only player to reach 5 under, and it would have been an amazing story if he didn't have to play the last six holes. But he made three bogeys in the twilight, including his last two holes, and had to settle for a 69.

"You always want to finish off a round, so it's a little disappointing in that regard," Pavin said. "But I just went out there and hit every shot the best I could, and I just didn't finish the way I wanted to. But if I had said, 'Take 2 under before the round started,' I maybe would have taken it. I'm not sure."

Phil Mickelson got off to a great start with birdies on his opening two holes, only to look suspect with a few irons and a few putts. He wound up with a 71. His hope is that the rain holds off until he finishes the second round.

"I thought it was going to be a great day but I gave a lot of shots back, made too many bogeys," Mickelson said. "I'll have a good chance tomorrow morning to get out and try to go low. This afternoon it was tough to make some putts. Even though there were some low scores, I struggled getting the ball to go in. And I'm looking forward to tomorrow's early round."

Vijay Singh, who turns 48 on Tuesday, continued to showed signs of getting back into the mix. He had a 68 and was in a large group that included Padraig Harrington.

Geoff Ogilvy was part of the pack at 69, with a round that included a 3-iron to tap-in range for eagle and what will go down as a two-putt par from 70 feet, even though it was much better. Realizing the greens were so fast and the putt could break sharply to the left and roll into a bunker, he chipped his sand wedge some 20 feet right of the pin and watched it roll to a foot away.

Typical of this tournament, not everyone could finish. Fourteen players will return Friday to finish the round, although the conditions could be much different.

Rain is expected for much of the next two days, which is why Haas was pleased with his start.

"If I was 2 over right now, I wouldn't like the forecast," he said. "Nobody likes the forecast, anyway, but we've all got to play in it, and I was fortunate to shoot a good round when it was nice."

Allenby has not won on the PGA TOUR in 10 years, and that 2001 season started with a dramatic win at Riviera. In a six-man playoff that featured two players at Riviera this year as broadcasters -- Dennis Paulson and Brandel Chamblee -- he hit 3-wood from 235 yards in a cold, driving rain to about 5 feet for birdie on the 18th.

That was a decade ago, although Allenby hasn't lost his love for this course.

"This golf course suits me," he said.

For the first round, it seemed to suit just about everybody. The Aussies ruled early, with Senden and Baddeley joining Allenby atop the leaderboard among those who teed off in the morning.

"Maybe looking at all the big gum trees around the golf course makes this feel like we're at home," Senden said.

No one feels more at home than Couples, although there were times he wishes he could have been somewhere else. His back has been acting up, and it started to get to him toward the end of his round.

"It's the shorter clubs that kill me," Couples said. "But at the end of the day, I played 18 holes and had a great round."

He then mentioned an MRI he has planned for Monday, followed by a treatment that he did not want to discuss. And he left little room to guess what it might be, saying that it was a "couple little things that may happen," then describing it as "pretty drastic" and that "it'll be fun for me to do it."

http://www.pgatour.com/r/leaderboard/

Pavin Plays Riviera for Last Time?

Cprey Pavin

The redness in Corey Pavin's left eye was so evident that when a reporter asked him what happened, Pavin playfully covered it with his hand and replied, "What do you mean?"

It was just a case of pink eye, although Pavin would have reason to shed tears this week.

The former U.S. Open champion and Ryder Cup captain played his first PGA TOUR event at Riviera in 1980, when he was a 19-year-old at UCLA. Pavin opened with an even-par 71 that day, although he wound up missing the cut.

He played as a rookie in 1984 and has missed only once at Riviera since then -- 1993, when his son was born.

Pavin will tee it up at the Northern Trust Open on Thursday for the 29th time, and he understands this could be his last time. He was exempt this year because even though he turned 50 and spent most of 2010 with his Ryder Cup captain duties, he still managed to keep his card by finishing in the top 125 on the money list.

"I don't know if this will be my last Northern Trust Open. It could be," Pavin said Wednesday. "But it's nice to be back here again."

In an era where the premium wasn't always on power, when a track like Riviera demanded players to maneuver shots, Pavin thrived. He won the tournament in 1994 and 1995, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan to win at Riviera in consecutive years.

The good memories far outweigh the bad, although Pavin tries to forget the latter.

The single greatest shot he has hit at the Riv? He had to think for a few minutes before coming up with a shot that meant something to Pavin because of the situation.

It was in 1994, his second shot in the par-4 18th, although he can't recall whether it was a 2-iron or a 3-iron.

"I knew I needed to hit a good shot to cinch the tournament, and I hit a really good, long iron in the back right corner of the green," he said. "I knew if I hit a poor shot there, that would have opened the door for Freddie (Couples) to have a chance. So that was probably the best clutch shot I hit here."

The chances this year? Probably not very good.

Pavin hasn't made the cut the last three times he has played in the Northern Trust Open. The course has gotten too long, and rain that has made the course soft in recent years hasn't helped.

Besides, he is ready to move on to compete against guys his own age.

Pavin said Riviera is among only four PGA TOUR events he will play this year. The others are THE PLAYERS Championship, the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Conn., where a year ago he lost in a playoff.

There's no point in looking back on memories of Riviera, or anything else, the Ryder Cup included. One reporter had not seen Pavin since he left for Wales and asked his thoughts on the week and what happened.

"We finished second at the Ryder Cup," Pavin said, showing his dry humor that was never fully appreciated during his captaincy.

He didn't do much the rest of the year, and is ready to get back to golf on the Champions Tour, where he had two close calls in his rookie season before losing to Couples, and old nemesis, and to Bernhard Langer in the U.S. Senior Open.

A few Ryder Cup memories abound.

Eleven players from his American team are at Riviera this week, the lone exception Tiger Woods. That includesSteve Stricker, the defending champion who eased his way to a two-shot victory last year.

The lineup is shaping up as the strongest field so far this year. Even without the top three in the Official World Golf Ranking -- Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Woods -- the field boasts five of the top 10 in the world and 16 of the top 30.

From last year's money list, only three of the top 20 are missing -- Ernie Els, Tim Clark and Camilo Villegas, all of whom planned to be at the Northern Trust Open except for nagging injuries.

British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen makes his debut as a PGA TOUR member, as does another "rookie" -- 41-year-old Robert Karlsson of Sweden, who showed how serious he was about his U.S. membership by moving from Monaco to Charlotte, N.C.

Ryo Ishikawa, the 19-year-old sensation from Japan, also is in the field.

And then there's Phil Mickelson, who feels he is close to getting his game on track and will try to win at Riviera for the third time.

"I've been playing well," he said. "I've got just a slight hurdle to get over where I've got to get the scores down to how I feel I'm playing. Some of that will be course management, some of that will just be getting a couple putts to drop, but I feel like I'm right on the cusp of playing some really good golf."

For Mickelson, the biggest concern is getting to the course.

As usual, he is staying home in San Diego this week and commuting by jet. A few years ago, he crowed when he walked into the door of his house and called his caddie, who was still stuck in traffic on his way to a local hotel.

Mickelson had a slightly tougher time Wednesday, with such low cloud cover that he was forced to land in Van Nuys, adding a half-hour to his flight. He's not losing any sleep over that one.

"I'm a little concerned the next day or two getting in with some of the low minimums of the clouds," Mickelson said. "It looks like it's going to be OK."

As for his game? Mickelson isn't worried about that, either.

Field Set for Northern Trust Open

Steve Stricker in 2010

The field for the Northern Trust Open has been finalised and will include some of the biggest names on the PGA TOUR. 

Defending champion Steve Stricker comes to Riviera with hopes of becoming the third player since 2003 to win back-to-back titles at the event.

Joining Stricker in the field will be two-time Northern Trust Open champion Phil Mickelson, who claimed consecutive titles at Riviera in 2008-09. Mickelson, the No. 4 ranked player in the world, will be making his 13th career appearance at the Northern Trust Open and another win would put him in the company of Ben Hogan (3), Arnold Palmer (3), Lloyd Mangrum (4) and MacDonald Smith (4) as the only players to win the tournament three or more times.

Stricker returns to Riviera coming off another solid year on the PGA TOUR in 2010, capturing the John Deere Classic in July in addition to his victory at the Northern Trust Open. His five victories on the PGA TOUR since the start of the 2009 season trail only Tiger Woods' six during that span and he leads the TOUR with 25 consecutive cuts made. Stricker recorded top 10s in his only two starts on the PGA TOUR so far in 2011, posting a T4 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and a T9 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Joining them in the field is 1999 Northern Trust Open champion Ernie Els, the No. 11 ranked player in the world and 18-time PGA TOUR winner. In addition to his victory in 1999, Els posted top 10s in 2007 (T3) and 2010 (T10). He enjoyed a resurgent 2010 campaign, winning the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.

Fan favourite and two-time champion (1990, 1992) Fred Couples returns to Riviera to play his 29th Northern Trust Open in 2011. Couples has compiled an amazing record at the tournament, which includes 26 made cuts, 19 top-25 finishes and 13 top-10 finishes. He posted a T3 in 2009, two shots off Mickelson's winning pace. In his first season on the Champions Tour in 2010, Couples won four times and was named Rookie of the Year. He captained the U.S. Presidents Cup Team to victory in 2009 and reprise that role again in November when the matches return to Royal Melbourne.

Japan's Ryo Ishikawa returns to the site of his first PGA TOUR start and will compete in the Northern Trust Open after receiving a Commissioner's Foreign Exemption for the third-consecutive year. A member of the 2009 International Presidents Cup Team, Ishikawa missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open in 2009 and finished T32 in 2010. He has won nine times on the Japan Golf Tour and posted his first top 10 on the PGA TOUR at the 2010 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (T9).

Other notable players in the field include 2010 FedExCup champion Jim Furyk, defending British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, former No. 1 Vijay Singh, FedExCup leader Mark Wilson and PGA TOUR rookie Jhonattan Vegas.

The 2011 Northern Trust Open field includes 23 major championship winners with 34 major titles. There are 10 former Northern Trust Open Champions in the field.

"We are thrilled with the field for this year's event. There is a wonderful mix of some of the game's biggest stars as well as some of golf's best young talent," said Executive Director Jerry West. "I encourage fans throughout Southern California to come out to Riviera Country Club and enjoy the tournament. With their support, we can continue a great tradition of giving through charitable contributions to the greater Los Angeles community."