The PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open will feature the best golfers around the world who are looking to be the next crowned champion of the prestigious tournament. The competition begins Thursday, February 13 and ends Sunday, February 16 in Pacific Palisades, California at the historic Riviera Country Club.
The golfers scheduled to compete this weekend are U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose, Jimmy Walker, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley, Bubba Watson, and Jim Furyk among others. While there is a diverse range of golfers taking the field, golfing experts are choosing their favorites.
The favored to win the entire North Trust Open is Jimmy Walker, who ranks number one in the Power Rankings in the PGA Tour and won three tournaments in the past season alone, the fastest in history. Trailing at number two is Dustin Johnson, who is another favorite among experts. Johnson notably has three "top tens" at the Riviera tournaments and five straight "top 12s" in competition.
Johnson is one of favored to win at the Northern Trust Open this weekend.
The tournament will also mark the return for reigning champion, Justin Rose who has been inactive the past two months with a shoulder injury. Though Rose played most of the 2013 season with an irritated shoulder, the injury is not a serious one that required medical attention or surgery.
"A lot of hard work went into me being here," told Rose to GolfWeek. "It was a race against time to really get back playing and get back strong. And if I'm honest, I've only really been hitting balls, drivers, for about a week, 10 days now. So it really has been down to the wire." The magnitude of Rose's injury may be shown throughout the stages of the competition and time will tell if it will be a factor that negatively affects the current champion.
The competition is looking intense in the early stages, but one notable player will not be swinging his golf club at the Riviera Country Club. Infamous golf legend Tiger Woods will skip this weekend's tournament as well as next week's Match Play Championship to prepare for the Honda Classic tournament that will take place in two more weeks.
But the tournament is already a memorable one for newcomer Harold Varner III, who was awarded the Northern Trust Open Exemption. The annual honor is given to a top golfer who represents the "advancement of diversity" to compete in the tournament. The 23-year-old from East Carolina University will play amongst his peers and the best in the world.
"I am so thrilled, honored and humbled to receive the Northern Trust Open Exemption," responded Varner to the honor. "Not only will I be competing with the world's best players in one of the game's most historic tournaments on one of its most legendary golf courses, but I will also have the chance to use this exemption as a way to shine a light on the past, present and future for minorities in the sport I love and cherish."
The tournament will be available for live broadcast online and television. The following are the dates and times to watch:
February 13-14
Golf Channel (5-8 p.m. ET/2-5 p.m. PT)
February 15
Golf Channel (1-2:30 p.m. ET/10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. PT)
CBS (3-6 p.m. ET/12-3p.m. PT)
February 16
Golf Channel (1-2:30 p.m. ET/10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. PT)
CBS (3-6:30 p.m. ET/ 12-3:30 p.m. PT)
Day 1 schedule will start at 6:40 a.m. (PT), click here for the complete Tee Times.
The tournament can also be watched online on Saturday, February 15 (3-6 p.m. ET/12-3 p.m. PT) and Sunday, February 16 (3-6:30 p.m. ET/12-3:30 p.m. PT). For live and up to date coverage, visit the official website http://www.pgatour.com/live.html
