First Look: The 2010 Northern Trust Open

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The Northern Trust Open takes place the week of Feb. 1 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Here's an early look at the tournament:

THREE STRAIGHT FOR PHIL?: Phil Mickelson will try to become the first player in the tournament's long history to win the Northern Trust Open in three consecutive years. Before Mickelson's runner-up finish in 2007, he had played in the event eight times, missed four cuts and recorded zero top-10 finishes. In his last three appearances, he has a runner-up and two victories.

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RYO'S RETURN: 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa returns to the course where he made his PGA TOUR debut in 2009 to make his debut of the 2010 season on the PGA TOUR. One of golf's brightest young stars, Ishikawa played six official PGA TOUR events in 2009, including the Masters Tournament, The Open Championship and PGA Championship.

After missing the cut in his first start at the Northern Trust Open, Ishikawa qualified for the weekend and finished 71st in his next event at the Transitions Championship. He carded his best finish of the season, a T56, at the PGA Championship in August.

One of Greg Norman's two Captain's selections for The Presidents Cup 2009, Ishikawa produced a 3-2 record, including a 2 and 1 victory over Kenny Perry in the Sunday singles matches. He became the youngest player to compete in The Presidents Cup and the first Japanese player since Shigeki Maruyama in 2000.

For more information about Ryo's early TOUR schedule, click here.

LET'S PLAY, LA: PLAY (Play LA) is an 18-day, city-wide event led by Northern Trust Open Executive Director Jerry West and 18 golfers -- including celebrities and notable Angelenos -- putting, chipping and driving their way through iconic Los Angeles locations in a countdown to the Northern Trust Open. In mid-January,, L.A. sports icon West, a member of the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, kicked off the first PLAY event.

For more information about PLAY, click here.

FRANTIC FINISHES: This is the 84th playing of the Northern Trust Open -- outside of the major championships, the Northern Trust Open is the fourth-oldest event on TOUR, trailing only the BMW Championship, the Canadian Open and the Valero Texas Open -- and it has a history of producing some of the most exciting finishes on TOUR.

There have been a total of 16 playoffs at the tournament, with five coming since 1998, including wins by Billy Mayfair (1998), Robert Allenby (2001), Weir (2003), Adam Scott (2005) and Charles Howell III (2007). Dating back to 1989, the tournament has ended in a playoff (6) or by a single shot (8) 13 times -- including Mickelson's one-stroke win last year.

HISTORIC RIVIERA: The Riviera Country Club is an internationally renowned golf course, established in 1926 and opened for play since 1927. Noted for its spectacular beauty and challenging design, the George C. Thomas masterpiece is annually rated among the best in the world. In 1948, Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open at Riviera, marking the first time the event had been contested west of the Rockies.

The club hosted its second major championship in 1983, with 25-year-old Hal Sutton holding off Jack Nicklaus by a single stroke, and its third in 1995, with Steve Elkington outlasting Colin Montgomerie for his only major championship victory. This year will mark the 47th playing of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.

NORTHERN TRUST OPEN EXEMPTION: Joshua Wooding of Riverside, Calif., a 2007 graduate of the University of Southern California, was chosen from a pool of applications to receive the annual exemption, sponsored by Northern Trust, which provides a playing opportunity for a top golfer who represents the advancement of diversity in golf and wouldn't otherwise be eligible to compete in the 2010 tournament.

For more information on Wooding's exemption, click here.

KODAK CHALLENGE HOLE: The 315-yard par-4 10th hole is one of the best short par-4s in golf. Jack Nicklaus calls this "one of the best 10th holes in major championship golf." A short hole but by no means easy, longer hitters can drive this green, but extreme accuracy is required.

For more on the Kodak Challenge, click here.