1963 With country club sports other then golf quickly growing in popularity, the Riviera Tennis Club is constructed in 1963.  ATP Tour co-founder Myron McNamara is the man primarily responsible for the club’s design, and most of its early success.  With 24 courts (including two clay), locker room, lounge and dining facilities, the RTC quickly earns its place among the leading tennis clubs on the West Coast.

1964 Willie Hunter retires as Riviera’s golf professional, a position he has held since 1936.  In addition to his  fine playing résumé, which included victories in the 1921 British Amateur and the PGA Tour’s 1936 National Match Play Championship, Hunter’s legacy at Riviera includes saving the golf course from catastrophic flood damage in 1939 and the club itself, from bankruptcy, during World War II.  Willie is replaced by his son Mac, who retains the position until 1973.     Willie Hunter   Mac Hunter (Photo dated around 1950)

1974 In yet another legendary Los Angeles Open, 61-year-old Sam Snead turns back the clock with a third-round 66 to launch himself into a dramatic Sunday battle with Dave Stockton and John Mahaffey.  A birdie at the 17th astonishingly pulls Snead within one of the lead before Stockton wins the title with perhaps the most memorable shot in tournament history, a 244-yard 3 wood from the left rough to within 12 feet of the 18th hole.  Snead will continue playing at Riviera right through 1976 (when he shot an opening-round 67), marking one of the longest runs of an athlete and playing field in the history of the sport.

1976 On the strength of a near-flawless 68, three-time U.S. Open winner Hale Irwin overtakes Tom Watson on Sunday to capture the Los Angeles Open with a new 72-hole Riviera scoring record of 272.  The win represents one of six top-10 PGA Tour finishes at Riviera for Irwin, a notable tough course player who will also win the U.S. Senior Open at the club in 1998.