LOS ANGELES — Amy Alcott was walking between the first and second fairways at Riviera Country Club earlier this week, like she’s done too many times to count.
This walk was different than any other, however. There were big white tents nestled between the fairways, one for merchandise and another for media, for a very special occasion—the first U.S. Women’s Open on a course she’s played for most of her life.
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Alcott, a five-time major champion who won the 1980 U.S. Women’s Open, and a caddie who is working this week traded greetings from across the fairway. It was all smiles and love and pride between the two women. Alcott had helped the caddie find rock-star housing with a friend who lives within a 9-iron from the club.
Born and raised in nearby Santa Monica, Alcott spent her childhood practicing and playing at Riviera. She is absolutely in her element this week.
A U.S. Women’s Open here wasn’t exactly fathomable because it’d been so long since the men’s major had even been here. Ben Hogan won the last U.S. Open here in 1948 and there’s a statute of him overlooking the 18th green.
Alcott dreamed of getting up-and-down and making big putts to win majors. She dreamed of having the U.S. Women’s Open here, too. That dream was more far-fetched for Alcott, who won 29 times on the LPGA Tour.
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“I used to hit balls down here and be preparing for a U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont, at Richland, where I won,” Alcott, 70, said. “On and on. At many golf courses. Dreamed, ‘wouldn’t it be great if Riviera ever hosted one here?’ I must’ve said it 100 times. To have it here, I wish I could be out here playing. I still have a lot of game. I still play a lot.”
Alcott putted and chipped on her front lawn, and she used to have to wait to play at Rancho Park and other nearby courses. She learned golf from Walter Keller, who was also a member at Riviera. He’d take Alcott, then a junior golfer, out to play Riviera once a year.
He asked the Hathaway family, who used to own Riviera, to let then then-15-year-old Alcott play here. They gave Alcott’s family a membership for $50.
“I had my shoes cleaned and my little golf bag and he’d pick me up,” Alcott said. “I remember standing on this [first] tee with him. I remembered playing the course that seemed huge, and it still is. It has a big look and a big feel to it. That’s what Riviera is.”
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“This is where I spent my entire childhood,” Alcott said. “This is where I grew my game with Walter Keller and without Walter Keller. This is where I developed my game to get on tour, turned pro at 18 and the rest is history.”
She knows these grounds like she knows all the intricacies of her Hall of Fame golf swing. That’s why PGA Tour players like Phil Mickelson—who won the Genesis Invitational twice here—used to pick her brain about the course. She’s still an honorary member.
And this week, she’s the queen, of course, with numerous speaking engagements and interviews and dinners. It’s all a delight because she loves this week.
The USGA also reached out to her to have her as the guest speaker for its amateur dinner. Alcott’s stories of rubbing elbows with celebrities at Riviera are gold. She’s surely told the story many times before of being on the putting green with Rita Hayworth.
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“Can you imagine as a young little girl going out on the putting green, the innocence of her mom flashing the [car] lights and picking her up in the parking lot as she was putting on the putting green with Rita Hayworth? Think about that,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer. “She told that story [at the amateur dinner] as a little girl putting with Rita Hayworth, and her mom showing up at the putting green and her eyes were this big. ‘Well, your daughter’s been admiring my leather shoes.’ The most beautiful actress of her era and out here putting with Amy Alcott.
“Amy is a national treasure, five-time major champion, World Golf Hall of Famer. The stories, boy, I would encourage all of you to you really listen to Amy. We love her, and she loves the USGA.”
In addition to Alcott’s tales, the USGA asked for her thoughts on course setup and more.
“I just pointed a few things out from having been here for 50 years,” Alcott said. “It’s slowly changed over time. The greens were rebuilt a few years ago. Going back to my childhood, the brown area, the barranca [on the first fairway] used to be fencing when I was a little girl. You could look down and see the water running out to the ocean. This was a real barranca in the early 60s and 70s.”
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Shannon Rouillard, the USGA’s senior director of championships, has befriended Alcott over the years. They really bonded over Riviera.
“I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Amy a bit better, and obviously been on a number of site visits here,” Rouillard said. “She’s walked the golf course with me a couple of times. Just picking her brain on the ins and outs and the intricacies of this golf course has been really helpful. … So it’s been a win-win for both of us.”
Amy Alcott
Amy Alcott, in yellow, poses with the amateur players who are competing in the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera.
Jason E. Miczek
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Alcott, whose photo hangs in the clubhouse, still lives nearby in Santa Monica and she’s giving of her time and wealth of knowledge about Riviera. It’s a glorious week, and will be a celebratory few years with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at Riviera and the U.S. Open in 2031.
“I think clubs have to be open to this,” Alcott said. “Riviera, I know, has long wanted to host a USGA event. They’ll have a whole bunch of great events coming up that will open the course at showcase it.”
It’s as much a win for Alcott as it is Riviera.
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