Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

Infobox_Golf_Tournament
tournament_name = Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
nickname =


location = Palm Desert, California
La Quinta, California
establishment = 1960
course = PGA West Nicklaus Course
PGA West Palmer Course
Bermuda Dunes Country Club
SilverRock Resort
par = 72 (all courses)
yardage = 7,636/6,950/7,060/7,578
tour = PGA Tour
format = Stroke play
purse = $5,100,000
month_played = January
aggregate = 324 Joe Durant (2001)
to-par = -36 Joe Durant (2001)
Current Champion = D. J. TrahanThe Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of competition vs. the PGA Tour standard of four rounds. Currently, "the Hope" is the third event on the Tour's annual schedule, and is also part of the Tour's FedEx Cup competition.

History

Founded as the Palm Springs Golf Classic in 1960, the tournament evolved from the Thunderbird Invitational that was held in Palm Springs from 1954 to 1959. Its format remains unique among PGA Tour events, being played over five days and four different courses. From 1960-62, the tournament was played at Thunderbird Country Club and Tamarisk Country Club, both in Rancho Mirage, California; Bermuda Dunes Country Club in Bermuda Dunes, California; and Indian Wells Country Club in Indian Wells, California. Bermuda Dunes has been used every year of the event and Indian Wells every year until 2006, but the roster of courses from which the event has chosen the other two courses to be played has evolved over the years. In 1963, Eldorado Country Club, also in Indian Wells, California, replaced Thunderbird Country Club. From 1964 until 1968, La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California replaced Tamarisk Country Club, but in 1969 Tamarisk Country Club rejoined the event and alternated annually with Eldorado Country Club until 1986 (Tamarisk Country Club's last turn being in 1985).

An evolution towards courses more suited to modern professionals began in 1987. From 1987 until 1994, and again from 1998 to the present, a course at PGA WEST in La Quinta, California (the TPC Stadium Golf Course in 1987 and the Arnold Palmer Private Course thereafter) became a permanent member of the roster; from 1995-97, Indian Ridge Country Club in Palm Desert, California replaced PGA WEST. To make room for a new permanent member, Eldorado Country Club and La Quinta Country Club alternated from 1987-89 (Eldorado being used in 87 and 89), after which Eldorado Country Club was dropped from the roster. From 1990-2003, Tamarisk Country Club and La Quinta Country Club followed a "1-2" alternating arrangement, where Tamarisk was played the first year and La Quinta CC the next two; this pattern was deviated from when Tamarisk was used in 2004 (a La Quinta CC year by the pattern), although the 2005, 2006 and 2007 events were then played at La Quinta CC.

In early 2005, a local charitable foundation gave its new course, The Classic Club in Palm Desert, California, an Arnold Palmer-designed track, to the tournament, making the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic the only event on the PGA Tour that owns its own facility; The Classic Club took the place of Indian Wells in 2006. The course was dropped from the Hope course field after the 2008 event, citing players concerns over high winds. [http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080801/EVENTS02/808010307&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL Classic club out of Bob Hope Chrysler Classic] - The Desert Sun, 1 August 2008]

The 2009 course rotation will consist of the Arnold Palmer Private Course and the Nicklaus Private Course (both at PGA West in La Quinta) SilverRock Resort (in La Quinta) and the Bermuda Dunes Country Club.

The tradition of choosing the tournament's "Classic Girls" from among the area's collegiates began in those early years, with the earliest tournaments having a celebrity dubbed "Classic Queen." The earliest titleholders included Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell and Jill St. John. The queens of the 1970s included Barbara Eden and Lynda Carter.

The Classic's biggest draw, both then and now, was the celebrity Pro-Am competition which attracted some of the era's biggest celebrities. According to the BHCC official website, those celebrities included:

*Bing Crosby
*Burt Lancaster
*Kirk Douglas
*Phil Harris
*Desi Arnaz (one of the founders of the aforementioned Indian Wells Country Club)
*Ray Bolger
*Hoagy Carmichael
*Dwight Eisenhower (the first US President to play in the pro-am)

The first tournament was won by Arnold Palmer with a final score of 338, or 22 under par. The record would stand for the next twenty years.

Bob Hope, who was possibly Hollywood's greatest golfer, added his name to the tournament in 1965 and became the Classic's Chairman of the Board.

The 1970s saw stars like Frank Sinatra make their debuts. Gerald Ford played his first pro-am in 1977, making him the second former president to play in the tournament.

History was made at the tournament in 1995 when the pro-am team of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Bob Hope and defending champion Scott Hoch teed up for the tournament's opening round. The event marked the first time a sitting president - Clinton - had played during a PGA tour event and perhaps the first time three presidents had ever played together.

For 2007, the purse and 1st prize are $5,000,000 and $900,000 respectively.

Its long history has made the event synonymous with golf in the Coachella Valley. Additionally, the allure of Hope's name, even after his death, has convinced the Hope estate, tournament organizers and corporate sponsor Chrysler to include the legendary entertainer's name on the tournament for as long as a substantial portion of its proceeds are given to charities.

The tournament's format is also a tough sell for many players, such as Tiger Woods, who has never played there. It takes place over five days, four of which include celebrity players. That means rounds take far longer and the presence of so many spectators out to catch a glimpse of their favorite TV, film or music star, can turn even an early round into a far more informal endeavor, which many golfers don't appreciate.

Winners

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
*2008 flagicon|USA D. J. Trahan
*2007 flagicon|USA Charley Hoffman
*2006 flagicon|USA Chad Campbell
*2005 flagicon|USA Justin Leonard
*2004 flagicon|USA Phil Mickelson
*2003 flagicon|CAN Mike Weir
*2002 flagicon|USA Phil Mickelson
*2001 flagicon|USA Joe Durant
*2000 flagicon|SWE Jesper Parnevik
*1999 flagicon|USA David Duval
*1998 flagicon|USA Fred Couples
*1997 flagicon|USA John Cook
*1996 flagicon|USA Mark Brooks
*1995 flagicon|USA Kenny Perry
*1994 flagicon|USA Scott Hoch
*1993 flagicon|USA Tom Kite
*1992 flagicon|USA John Cook
*1991 flagicon|USA Corey Pavin
*1990 flagicon|USA Peter Jacobsen
*1989 flagicon|USA Steve Jones
*1988 flagicon|USA Jay Haas
*1987 flagicon|USA Corey Pavin
*1986 flagicon|USA Donnie Hammond

Bob Hope Classic
*1985 flagicon|USA Lanny Wadkins
*1984 flagicon|USA John Mahaffey

Bob Hope Desert Classic
*1983 flagicon|USA Keith Fergus
*1982 flagicon|USA Ed Fiori
*1981 flagicon|USA Bruce Lietzke
*1980 flagicon|USA Craig Stadler
*1979 flagicon|USA John Mahaffey
*1978 flagicon|USA Bill Rogers
*1977 flagicon|USA Rik Massengale
*1976 flagicon|USA Johnny Miller
*1975 flagicon|USA Johnny Miller
*1974 flagicon|USA Hubert Green
*1973 flagicon|USA Arnold Palmer
*1972 flagicon|USA Bob Rosburg
*1971 flagicon|USA Arnold Palmer
*1970 flagicon|AUS Bruce Devlin
*1969 flagicon|USA Billy Casper
*1968 flagicon|USA Arnold Palmer
*1967 flagicon|USA Tom Nieporte
*1966 flagicon|USA Doug Sanders
*1965 flagicon|USA Billy Casper

Palm Springs Golf Classic
*1964 flagicon|USA Tommy Jacobs
*1963 flagicon|USA Jack Nicklaus
*1962 flagicon|USA Arnold Palmer
*1961 flagicon|USA Billy Maxwell

Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic
*1960 flagicon|USA Arnold Palmer

Multiple winners

Seven men have won this tournament more than once through 2007.

*5 wins
**Arnold Palmer: 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1973

*2 wins
**Billy Casper: 1965, 1969
**John Cook: 1992, 1997
**John Mahaffey: 1979, 1984
**Phil Mickelson: 2002, 2004
**Johnny Miller: 1975, 1976
**Corey Pavin: 1987, 1991

Records

*Low 18-Hole Record 59 - David Duval (1999)
*Low 36-Hole Record 126 - Joe Durant (2001)
*Low 54-Hole Record 193 - Joe Durant (2001), Joe Ogilvie (2005)
*Low 72-Hole Record 259 - Joe Durant (2001)
*Low 90-Hole Record 324 - Joe Durant (2001) (PGA Tour Record)
*High Winning Score 349 - Doug Sanders (1966), Tom Nieporte (1967)
*High Finish by Winner 72 - Billy Casper (1965)
*Low Finish by Winner 59 - David Duval (1999)
*Low Start by Winner 63 - Jay Haas (1988)
*High Start by Winner 76 - Tom Nieporte (1967), Steve Jones (1989)
*Largest Victory Margin 6 strokes - Rik Massengale (1977),Tom Kite (1993)
*Low Cut 276 - 11-under-par (2000) (PGA Tour Record)
*Wire to Wire Winners - Rik Massengale (1977), Bruce Lietzke (1981)
*Best Turn Around - Jonathan Kaye (1999) 2nd - 83 3rd - 62

Television broadcast and cable history

From the mid-1960s through 1988, NBC broadcast the fourth and fifth rounds of the tournament. ABC took over the coverage in 1999 through 2002 and 2004 through 2006, with CBS covering the tournament in 2003. Beginning in 2007, the Golf Channel showed all five rounds on cable television.

References

External links

* [http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/golf/Leaderboard.aspx?sy=2007&tc=R&ti=02&sc=SI 2007 Final Scores and Earnings] - from USA Today.Com
* [http://www.bhcc.com Bob Hope Chrysler Classic official website]
* [http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r002 Coverage on the PGA Tour's website]
* [http://66.128.148.121/cgi.pan$winners&Bob_Hope_Chrysler_Classic&&pga?golfstats Bob Hope Chrysler Classic results since 1970 - Winners, Finishers, Scores and Earnings]
* [http://www.bhcc.com/facts.html Bob Hope Chrysler Classic facts]