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Sports

Golf's Golden Moments at Riviera

Remembering the most exciting moments in the tournament at "Hogan's Alley."

It's been a week since Australian Aaron Baddeley held on to beat Vijay Singh and Fred Couples in a thrilling final round of the 2011 Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. Few golf courses in the world are quite steeped in tradition as Riviera. In 1929, it first hosted what was then called the Los Angeles Open, later renamed the Nissan Open and is now the Northern Trust Open. Riviera has been the site for the event every year except two since 1973. From Harry Cooper, Lloyd Mangrum and Ben Hogan to Arnold Palmer, Corey Pavin and Phil Mickelson, the historic course in Santa Monica Canyon has stood the test of time. Here's a countdown of the tournament's top five finishes at Riviera:

5. 2007 -- Winner: Charles Howell III
Finishing second had become somewhat of a habit for Georgia native Charles Howell III, who had nine runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour heading into the Nissan Open and he seemed destined to come up short again when he trailed leader Phil Mickelson by four shots with nine holes to play on Sunday. However, he closed with three straight birdies and Mickelson bogeyed No. 18 to force a playoff, which Howell won on the third extra hole with a three-foot par putt. Mickelson almost won on the first playoff hole, but his birdie putt at 18 rolled inches wide of the cup.

4. 1974 -- Winner: Dave Stockton
Known for being one of the steadiest putters on the PGA Tour, Dave Stockton used the flat stick to fire a final-round 69 and beat John Mahaffey and Sam Snead at Riviera. After his tee shot at 18 on Sunday, Stockton faced a downhill lie in the left rough, 247 yards from the hole. He hit a three-wood to within 12 feet and then made the birdie putt. A commemorative plaque now sits in the rough on the exact spot where he hit his improbable second shot.

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3. 1992 -- Winner: Fred Couples
Sixteen-year-old Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour debut, but Fred Couples ultimately stole the headlines by winning his second LA Open in three years by defeating Davis Love III with a birdie on the second hole of sudden death. Couples had a one-stroke lead over Love, Sandy Lyle and Tom Sieckmann going into the final round. On the second playoff hole at the 14th, Couples hit a six-iron to within 10 feet of the cup and drained it after Love missed a 35-footer.

2. 1982 -- Winner: Tom Watson
In a final-round duel between two of the era's best players, Tom Watson drained a 45-foot putt for birdie at the 17th green on the third playoff hole to edge defending champion Johnny Miller, who led by two strokes with two holes to play but closed with back-to-back bogeys. Watson was in trouble on each of the first two playoff holes at 15 and 16 but got up-and-down from bunkers to save par and set up his heroic effort that clinched his second title at Riviera.

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1. 1950 -- Winner: Sam Snead
Two all-time greats going head-to-head in an 18-hole playoff... the sport of golf had been waiting for just such a scenario and the LA Open finally delivered. Ben Hogan, who was gunning for his fourth title and whose success at Riviera led to the course being nicknamed "Hogan's Alley," remarkably returned from a near-fatal car accident the year before to close with three straight 69s. However, Sam Snead birdied the final two holes to tie Hogan at 280. Weather delayed the 18-hole playoff for a week but when the players finally took the course Snead shot a 72 to win by four strokes.

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