Riviera Country Club holds a unique power over Tiger Woods, a capacity to unlock memories as readily as it presents challenges on the course. Ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational, Woods shared a story that encapsulates that feeling – a humorous encounter from his childhood that highlights the course’s enduring character.
“At Riviera Country Club, you hear things,” Woods said Tuesday during a press conference. He explained that the sounds typically emerge later in the day on Fridays and Saturdays, emanating from the 10th tee box, and the 17th and 18th greens. “Beverages served, things done,” he added with a smile.
But it wasn’t a late-night atmosphere that created his most memorable Riviera moment. It occurred when he was just eight years old, watching the L.A. Open with his father, Earl. The scene unfolded on the 8th green, and involved a stray golf ball and a rather direct caddie.
“And this golf ball comes slamming in there,” Woods recounted. “I go running over to it, and it’s a Ram golf ball. I’ve never heard of Ram. What is Ram? I’m 8 years old, right?”
His youthful curiosity led him directly into the path of a working professional. “So I go running over there, and I’m just looking at it, and this caddie just pushes me out of the way. ‘Kid, get out of the way.’”
The caddie, as Woods later discovered, was Bruce Edwards, who at the time was working for Tom Watson. The memory clearly stuck with the golfing legend. “I look up, and I don’t know who he is at that time, and later find out it was Bruce Edwards caddying for Tom Watson. So I used to give him a lot of grief about that,” Woods said, laughing. “He said, ‘Yeah, you were in the way.’”
The anecdote speaks to the unique atmosphere of Riviera, a course steeped in history and tradition. It’s a place where the lines between professional play and the enthusiasm of young fans can blur, resulting in moments both amusing and memorable. “Only at Riv,” Woods remarked.
For Woods, the story isn’t just a funny recollection; it’s a reminder of his deep connection to the course. “For me, that’s part of the neat things being here at Riv,” he said, “being able to go back in time as a kid.”
Woods’s history with Riviera extends beyond childhood encounters. He made his first PGA Tour appearance at the Los Angeles course as a 16-year-old amateur at the 1992 L.A. Open. While he missed the cut by six strokes, shooting rounds of 72 and 75, the experience marked a significant milestone in his career. He had already attended the tournament with his father prior to that debut, absorbing the atmosphere and witnessing the game’s professionals firsthand.
The Genesis Invitational, which Woods hosts, is currently underway at Riviera. The tournament provides a platform for both established stars and emerging talents, and Woods’s own story serves as a powerful example of the course’s ability to inspire and nurture a passion for golf. The incident with Edwards and Watson, though a minor moment in the grand scheme of the sport, underscores the personal connections that make Riviera so special.
The story also offers a glimpse into the dynamic between players, caddies, and fans, a dynamic that often unfolds organically and unexpectedly on the course. The “banter back and forth between the pros and the gallery,” as Woods described it, is a hallmark of the game, and Riviera seems to amplify that energy.
As Woods continues his career, and as the Genesis Invitational progresses, his enduring relationship with Riviera Country Club remains a central theme. It’s a connection built on years of experience, cherished memories, and a deep appreciation for the course’s unique place in the world of golf. The course isn’t just a venue for competition; it’s a repository of personal history, a place where a future champion first encountered the game he would come to dominate, and where a caddie once told a young fan to simply “get out of the way.”
