LOS ANGELES — John Merrick never allowed himself to think about winning at Riviera.

Not when he was a kid attending his local PGA Tour event. Not when he was at UCLA and could play the fabled course. And certainly not late Sunday afternoon in a playoff when he faced a daunting 3-iron shot under a row of eucalyptus trees, and his opponent was in the middle of the fairway with a wedge in his hand.

No wonder Merrick was at a loss for words when he won the Northern Trust Open.

“Yeah, you dream,” Merrick said with glossy eyes.

Merrick hit the perfect shot under the trees on the 18th to escape with par, and he followed with another flawless shot to a skinny section of the 10th green on the second playoff hole to 18 feet. He made another par, and won when Charlie Beljan missed a 5-foot par putt.

It was the second straight year the Northern Trust Open was decided in a playoff on the 10th.