Ben Hogan once looked at Riviera’s par-3 4th and called it the greatest one-shot hole in America, a piece of golf architecture that demanded imagination as much as nerve. This week, after a subtle but significant alteration changed how it plays and what it demands, that same hole became a flashpoint inside the locker room. With that came some of the Tour’s biggest names openly questioning whether one of Riviera’s most sacred tests had just lost what made it special in the first place.

“It’s the only weak spot on the course, in my opinion,” Jordan Spieth, who has a long and storied history at Riviera, including leading the University of Texas to an NCAA title there, told Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine.

His frustration was justified. In 2024, when the hole played at 233 yards, it was the third-hardest on the course, yielding just 11 birdies all week. It played at a combined 49-over par. This year, there have already been seven birdies, even though the first round was yet to be completed due to adverse weather.

Spieth further added, “I’m not sure it’s going to change much. Instead of a 2-iron or hybrid, you’re hitting 3-wood. It was always kind of a crapshoot if you were going to hit the green anyway.”

The three-time major winner believes the alteration, which now makes the 273-yard hole the longest par-3 on the PGA Tour, won’t make it more difficult. But it will undo the hole’s signature nature.

The fourth hole was designed as a ‘Redan’ in 1926 by George C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell. They modeled it after North Berwick in Scotland. It is one of the most replicated holes in golf and originates from a French word that means a well-protected hole where the green typically slopes from the front right to the back left.

The core of the issue lies in the Kikuyu grass used for the fairways and rough at Riviera. In a traditional Redan design, a player is expected to bounce the ball short and let it run onto the green. However, Kikuyu is notoriously sticky, especially in damp conditions.

Rory McIlroy was the first to sound the alarm on the extension of the hole at this golf cathedral.

“I actually think it’s a horrible change,” McIlroy said before the start of the event. “Well, like 15 percent of the field hit the green last time when it was played at its original yardage at 230.”

McIlroy (5-under) birdied the hole, and Spieth (even-par through 10th) managed to save par. But what led to this unpopular step?

Reportedly, the USGA, which will host the U.S. Women’s Open this year at Riviera, requested to lengthen the hole. However, the USGA also asked for a few other changes, which were not part of the final overhaul plan.

USGA officials wanted the grass near the green to be changed. They wanted more bounce. It is not clear whether Riviera refused the proposal or it was dropped by mutual agreement.

The course is famous for having never been conquered by some of the greatest names in the sport. Both Tiger Woods (0 for 11 as a pro) and Jack Nicklaus (0 for 14) have never won at Riviera. Now, the addition of a 273-yard par-3 to an already problematic zone only increases the volatility for current stars like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, who are also looking for their first wins at the venue.

And it’s not just Spieth and McIlroy who have a rough assessment of one of the PGA Tour’s longest par-3.

Riviera’s decision hasn’t sat well with anyone

Collin Morikawa is also among those questioning the change.

“It’s too soft, unfortunately. I’m going to play a tight 5-iron and run it up. I think a lot of us play it left to chip uphill, but with a 3-wood in hand, that cart path on the left, honestly, comes into play because the dispersion just gets that much bigger,” Morikawa said.

Despite his concerns about the course setup, Morikawa enters the week with massive positive momentum. He won the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, ending a 28-month winless drought with a decisive birdie on the 72nd hole to finish at 22-under par.

Still, he labeled the hole a “hit and hope” exercise, stating, “It’ll be very interesting. I think it’s just a very long par 3. There’s not a lot of thought to it other than just kind of hitting the green and moving on, unfortunately.”

And when the reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun was asked about the difficulty of the hole during his practice round, where he successfully striped a 3-wood to within 6 feet, he said, “Because it’s Wednesday. It didn’t matter really today.”

Spaun and Morikawa both saved par on the 4th in the first round. Beyond the controversial lengthening of the 4th, the players are also grappling with a wet environment after a powerful Pacific storm that has left the course soft and the Kikuyu even more grabby than usual.