Boom Boom, Now

Boom Boom, Now Cue the Black Eyed Peas’ PGA remix of “Boom Boom, Now” — Fred Couples is tied for second — at 9-under 204 through 54 holes, one shot behind leader Aaron Baddeley — heading into the final round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.

The 51-year-old has a history of making the SoCal crowd scream, having won the tournament formerly known as the Nissan Los Angeles Open in 1990 and ’92, while carding second-place finishes in ’93, ’94 and ’96.

“This week I’m playing because it’s my favorite course,” Couples said, during a post-round press conference. “I’ve played this tournament, this is my 30th year, so I kind of feel like I can get the ball around (Riviera).”

Making his 29th appearance at the L.A. event, Couples is in contention for his 16th career PGA Tour title. The last time Freddie was in the hunt in the big leagues was last year’s Masters, when his quest for a second green jacket (1992) resulted in a solo sixth-place finish (and $270K).

But the PGA part-timer was a terror as a rookie on the Champions Tour last season — posting four wins, four runner-ups, one third and 13 top-10 finishes in 17 events. Couples has proven he can still close out a tournament; and the roar of the crowd is no stranger to a longtime Sunday fan favorite.

With $6.5 million total purse and $1.17 million winner’s share on the line in Pacific Palisades, Calif., expect “Boom Boom” to give the crowd their money’s worth in the final round of the Northern Trust Open.