Bob Hope Classic From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Bob Hope Classic Tournament information Location Palm Desert, California La Quinta, California Established 1960 Course(s) PGA West Nicklaus Course PGA West Palmer Course Bermuda Dunes Country Club SilverRock Resort Par 72 (all courses) Yardage 6,951/6,950/7,017/7,578 Tour(s) PGA Tour Format Stroke play Purse $5,100,000 Month Played January Tournament record score Aggregate 324 Joe Durant (2001) To-par -36 Joe Durant (2001) Current champion Pat Perez The Bob Hope 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 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. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Winners 3 Multiple winners 4 Records 5 Television broadcast and cable history 6 References 7 External links [edit] 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.[1] 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.[1] The tradition of choosing the tournament's "Classic Girls" from among the area's collegians 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 2009, the purse and 1st prize are $5.1 million and $918,000 respectively, the same as in 2008. Its long history has made the event synonymous with golf in the Coachella Valley. Additionally, the allure of Hope's name, even after his death, has convinced the Hope estate, tournament organizers and corporate sponsor Chrysler to include the legendary entertainer's name on the tournament for as long as a substantial portion of its proceeds are given to charities. The tournament's format is also a tough sell for many players, such as Tiger Woods, who has never played there. It takes place over five days, four of which include celebrity players. That means rounds take far longer and the presence of so many spectators out to catch a glimpse of their favorite TV, film or music star, can turn even an early round into a far more informal endeavor, which many golfers don't appreciate. The tournmanet was called the 'Bob Hope Chrysler Classic' until the 2009 tournament, where George Lopez was let go as host and Chrysler dropped their name from the tournament's name, but continue to sponsor the tournament. Instead, the tournament was hosted by the only 5-time winner of the event, Arnold Palmer, for the tournament's 50th anniversary. [edit] Winners Year Player Country Score To par 1st Prize ($) Purse ($) Bob Hope Classic 2009 Pat Perez United States 327 -33 918,000 5,100,000 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic 2008 D. J. Trahan United States 334 -26 918,000 5,100,000 2007 Charley Hoffman United States 343 -17 900,000 5,000,000 2006 Chad Campbell United States 335 -25 900,000 5,000,000 2005 Justin Leonard United States 332 -28 846,000 4,700,000 2004 Phil Mickelson United States 330 -30 810,000 4,500,000 2003 Mike Weir Canada 330 -30 810,000 4,500,000 2002 Phil Mickelson United States 330 -30 720,000 4,000,000 2001 Joe Durant United States 324 -36 630,000 3,500,000 2000 Jesper Parnevik Sweden 331 -27 540,000 3,000,000 1999 David Duval United States 334 -26 540,000 3,000,000 1998 Fred Couples United States 332 -28 414,000 2,300,000 1997 John Cook United States 327 -33 270,000 1,500,000 1996 Mark Brooks United States 337 -23 234,000 1,300,000 1995 Kenny Perry United States 335 -25 216,000 1,200,000 1994 Scott Hoch United States 334 -26 198,000 1,100,000 1993 Tom Kite United States 325 -35 198,000 1,100,000 1992 John Cook United States 336 -24 198,000 1,100,000 1991 Corey Pavin United States 331 -29 198,000 1,100,000 1990 Peter Jacobsen United States 339 -21 180,000 1,000,000 1989 Steve Jones United States 343 -17 180,000 1,000,000 1988 Jay Haas United States 338 -22 180,000 1,000,000 1987 Corey Pavin United States 341 -19 162,000 900,000 1986 Donnie Hammond United States 335 -25 108,000 650,000 Bob Hope Classic 1985 Lanny Wadkins United States 333 -27 90,000 555,000 1984 John Mahaffey United States 340 -20 72,000 433,000 Bob Hope Desert Classic 1983 Keith Fergus United States 335 -25 67,500 408,000 1982 Ed Fiori United States 335 -25 50,000 304,500 1981 Bruce Lietzke United States 335 -25 50,000 304,500 1980 Craig Stadler United States 343 -17 50,000 304,500 1979 John Mahaffey United States 343 -17 50,000 300,000 1978 Bill Rogers United States 339 -21 45,000 225,000 1977 Rik Massengale United States 337 -23 40,000 200,000 1976 Johnny Miller United States 344 -16 36,000 180,000 1975 Johnny Miller United States 339 -21 32,000 160,000 1974 Hubert Green United States 341 -19 32,048 160,000 1973 Arnold Palmer United States 343 -17 32,000 160,000 1972 Bob Rosburg United States 344 -16 29,000 145,000 1971 Arnold Palmer United States 342 -18 28,000 140,000 1970 Bruce Devlin Australia 339 -21 25,000 125,000 1969 Billy Casper United States 345 -15 20,000 100,000 1968 Arnold Palmer United States 348 -12 20,000 100,000 1967 Tom Nieporte United States 349 -11 17,600 88,000 1966 Doug Sanders United States 349 -11 15,000 80,000 1965 Billy Casper United States 348 -12 15,000 80,000 Palm Springs Golf Classic 1964 Tommy Jacobs United States 353 -7 7,500 50,000 1963 Jack Nicklaus United States 345 -13 9,000 50,000 1962 Arnold Palmer United States 342 -17 5,300 35,000 1961 Billy Maxwell United States 345 -14 5,300 52,000 Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic 1960 Arnold Palmer United States 338 -20 12,000 70,000 Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records. Source[2] [edit] Multiple winners Seven men have won this tournament more than once through 2009. 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 [edit] Records Low 18-Hole record 59 - David Duval (1999) Low 36-Hole record 123 - Steve Stricker (2009) 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 273 - 15-under-par (2009) (PGA Tour record) Wire to wire winners - Rik Massengale (1977), Bruce Lietzke (1981) Best turn around - Jonathan Kaye (1999) 2nd - 83 3rd - 62 [edit] 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. [edit] References ^ a b Classic club out of Bob Hope Chrysler Classic - The Desert Sun, 1 August 2008 ^ Bob Hope Chrysler Classic - Tournament winners [edit] External links Official website Coverage on the PGA Tour's website Bob Hope Classic results since 1970 - Winners, Finishers, Scores and Earnings [hide]v • d • ePGA Tour Events Major championships in playing order: The Masters · U.S. Open · The Open Championship (British Open) · PGA Championship Other FedEx Cup tournaments in playing order: Mercedes-Benz Championship · Sony Open in Hawaii · Bob Hope Classic · FBR Open · Buick Invitational · AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am · Northern Trust Open · WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship · Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya · Honda Classic · WGC-CA Championship · Puerto Rico Open · Transitions Championship · Arnold Palmer Invitational · Shell Houston Open · Verizon Heritage · Zurich Classic of New Orleans · Quail Hollow Championship · The Players Championship · Valero Texas Open · HP Byron Nelson Championship · Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial · Memorial Tournament · Stanford St. Jude Championship · Travelers Championship · AT&T National · John Deere Classic · U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee · RBC Canadian Open · Buick Open · WGC-Bridgestone Invitational · Legends Reno-Tahoe Open · Wyndham Championship FedEx Cup playoff events: The Barclays · Deutsche Bank Championship · BMW Championship · The Tour Championship Fall Series in playing order: Turning Stone Resort Championship · Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open · Frys.com Open · Viking Classic · Children's Miracle Network Classic Team events (played alternate years): Presidents Cup · Ryder Cup Challenge season events in playing order (unofficial money): Tavistock Cup · CVS Caremark Charity Classic · PGA Grand Slam of Golf · ADT Skills Challenge · Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge · World Cup · Skins Game · Father/Son Challenge · Merrill Lynch Shootout · Chevron World Challenge · Kiwi Challenge Former Events Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope_Classic" Categories: PGA Tour events | Golf in California | Riverside County, California | Recurring events established in 1960