Riviera Primed For Epic Weekend, But Nightmare Scenarios Loom

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For every Bubba, DJ, Adam and Rory there's a Troy, Jason and Chez seeking to meddle with writer sanity and to stampede all over television ratings. I'd love to say Riviera is guaranteed to produce a star-studded finish, but I have two words for you: Pat Fitzsimons.

Oh, I kid the less famous! 

Jordan Spieth is on his way out of town, but with some of the more popular and dynamic long bombers all within 4 of the lead, the 2016 Northern Trust Open should be a fun one.

Dustin Johnson, just two back and playing in the 9:45 am PT final pairing with Chez Reavie and Jason Kokrak, is putting on a driving exhibition with his new Taylor Made M2 driver. Adam Schupak noted the comments of playing partner Adam Scott (-6), no slouch himself with the big stick.

Johnson has also put new irons in the bag. This was part of a light exchange with writers about his light off-season practice effort.

Q. Did you play any?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No.

Q. You didn't touch a club?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Not really. I might have touched one. I didn't swing it, though.

Q. So when you got to Kapalua --

DUSTIN JOHNSON: I got there a few days early, so I played a little bit of golf. From then until San Diego, I didn't. And from San Diego to Pebble, I didn't.

Q. Is that different for you this off-season? Was it different from previous ones?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, not really. That's pretty normal for me.

Q. What do you do in December when you're not playing golf?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: There's a lot of things you can do other than golf. Yeah, I do them all. (Laughter).

Q. Are these new irons this week, or relatively new irons?

DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I did, I put a new set of irons in. I think they are the PSi Tours, something like that.

Bubba Watson will need to clean up his ball-striking over the weekend, but he made the cut on the number when winning here in 2014. His short game is A-ok:

Rory McIlroy struggled with the afternoon greens but is still gliding around the place with confidence, something he reinforced after the round. He also watched this shot in the press scrum area on Riviera's SD television (nothing but the best for the ladies locker room!). McIlroy was surprised the ball didn't release more:


He did shape a beautiful shot into 18:

Jordan Spieth came back from his disastrous opening 79 but a bogey on his second hole (par-5 11th) was a dealbreaker. Worth noting is Spieth's optimism based on his post-missed cut performances. Also, he talked quite a ibt about his constant efforts to pace himself, limit practice and get plenty of rest. Mike McCallister at PGATour.com reports.

Fred Couples thinks he might have played his final LA Open. Or not. Adam Schupak reports.

Brendan de Jonge was assessed four penalty shots for playing two holes with a non-conforming club. The Pro Golf Refs account explained the ruling.

Oh, and it was a glorious day for golf viewing, with more of the same forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Golf Channel starts coverage at 10 am PT, with CBS taking over after the dreaded graphics changeover and college basketball game running long. The over/under is 12:09 pm PT Saturday.