1949 Under perhaps the most difficult weather conditions in tournament history, Hall-of-Famer Lloyd Mangrum wins the first of his four Los Angeles Open titles, shooting 284 to defeat Dutch Harrison by three.  A decorated World War II veteran, Mangrum – who grew up in Los Angeles – takes the lead with a scorching second-round 66, then wears pajamas beneath his golf clothes to fight off the oppressive cold during the final-round 70 which clinches victory.

1950 In one of the most dramatic golf tournaments ever played, Ben Hogan unexpectedly returns from his near-fatal, 1949 car accident to challenge for a fourth L.A. Open title.  Closing with three straight 69s, Hogan appears destined for perhaps the greatest comeback win of all time before Sam Snead birdies the final two holes to tie him at 280.  In an 18-hole playoff delayed a week by both bad weather and the Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Snead shoots 72 to defeat Hogan by four to claim his second Los Angeles title.

1951  Follow The Sun, a movie dramatizing Ben Hogan’s comeback from his 1949 car accident, films many of its most prominent scenes at Riviera.  Other films, such as Pat and Mike, (1950), starring club members Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and one  of the finest female golfers of the day, Babe Zaharias, shoots the film's pivotal tournament scenes at the club.  In 1953, a Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis comedy, The Caddy, also features cameos by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ben Hogan and other famous golfers. Ben Hogan (pictured above) makes a cameo appearance in "The Caddy", starring  Riviera Member Dean Martin  and Jerry Lewis (at right). Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy "Pat & Mike". Anne Baxter and Glenn Ford during filming of "Follow the Sun".

1952 Future Hall-of-Famer Tommy Bolt, still a little-known upstart, wins one of the most exciting L.A. Opens on record, defeating Dutch Harrison and Jack Burke Jr. in an 18-hole playoff after the trio deadlock in regulation at 289.  The playoff becomes necessary after Bolt birdies the 71st and 72nd holes, Harrison birdies the 72nd by rifling an heroic 3 wood to 18 inches, and Burke gives away certain victory by three-putting the final green from 30 feet.