The Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club boasts the strongest field yet in the early PGA Tour season, but the groove flap seems to be overshadowing that. It will be interesting to see whether more - or fewer - players are using the old Ping Eye 2 wedges this week, after the brouhaha that developed at last week's Farmers Insurance Open.
Will Phil Mickelson keep a Ping Eye 2 in his bag? He's in the field this week, as are big-name veterans Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Steve Stricker. Even David Duval is entered.
But the real fun might be in watching some of those youngsters, such as two who were involved in chasing eventual champ Ben Crane in the final round last week: Michael Sim and Rickie Fowler. And Japanese teen phenom Ryo Ishikawa is playing at Riviera, too.
Check our Northern Trust Open tournament page to view the list of past winners - Mickelson has won two in a row - along with other tourney tidbits.
Comments