There is no Hope on the 2012 PGA Tour. But there is a Humana Challenge, and the tournament that has always been associated with legendary entertainer Bob Hope now has new hope for success.
The Bob Hope Classic was first played in 1960 as the Palm Springs Golf Classic. Hope, one of the biggest starts in the world, was the tournament host, bringing his celebrity friends to the California desert each year for a 5-round pro-am that rotated among multiple courses, and in which the amateurs played four rounds.
Hope's name was added to the tournament in 1965, and remained there ever since - even after Hope's death in 2003 - until this year. Now, the full name of the tournament is Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.
It's the first time since 2008 this event has had a tournament sponsor. And the tournament came close to folding during that sponsorless time period. Can the arrival of Humana as a title sponsor and involvement of former President Bill Clinton help restore some of this event's past cachet? Well, it's a start.
The name change isn't the only change. To make the tournament more appealing to the pros, the Humana Challenge will be the standard four rounds (72 holes) rather than five rounds going forward. And golfers will rotate among three courses (two of them at the same facility) rather than four.
Hope's name isn't entirely absent, however: The winner of the Humana Challenge will receive the Bob Hope Trophy.
Phil Mickelson begins his 2012 season this week at the Humana Challenge, and Greg Norman is also showing up. Why Norman? He's buddies with President Clinton.
Also in the field are Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Anthony Kim, David Toms and last week's winner Johnson Wagner. Bill Haas lost in a playoff at last year's Bob Hope Classic, a beginning to what was a breakout year for Haas, and he's back, too. The defending champion is Jhonattan Vegas.
See our Humana Challenge tournament page for the list of past champions and more tourney info and trivia.
See also:
Bob Hope quotes about golf
The Bob Hope Classic was first played in 1960 as the Palm Springs Golf Classic. Hope, one of the biggest starts in the world, was the tournament host, bringing his celebrity friends to the California desert each year for a 5-round pro-am that rotated among multiple courses, and in which the amateurs played four rounds.
Hope's name was added to the tournament in 1965, and remained there ever since - even after Hope's death in 2003 - until this year. Now, the full name of the tournament is Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.
It's the first time since 2008 this event has had a tournament sponsor. And the tournament came close to folding during that sponsorless time period. Can the arrival of Humana as a title sponsor and involvement of former President Bill Clinton help restore some of this event's past cachet? Well, it's a start.
The name change isn't the only change. To make the tournament more appealing to the pros, the Humana Challenge will be the standard four rounds (72 holes) rather than five rounds going forward. And golfers will rotate among three courses (two of them at the same facility) rather than four.
Hope's name isn't entirely absent, however: The winner of the Humana Challenge will receive the Bob Hope Trophy.
Phil Mickelson begins his 2012 season this week at the Humana Challenge, and Greg Norman is also showing up. Why Norman? He's buddies with President Clinton.
Also in the field are Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Anthony Kim, David Toms and last week's winner Johnson Wagner. Bill Haas lost in a playoff at last year's Bob Hope Classic, a beginning to what was a breakout year for Haas, and he's back, too. The defending champion is Jhonattan Vegas.
See our Humana Challenge tournament page for the list of past champions and more tourney info and trivia.
See also:
Bob Hope quotes about golf
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