The End of an Era, and the Start of a New One: The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
What do Arnold Palmer, Junior Seau and Alice Cooper have in common? Why would Fuzzy Zoeller, Emmitt Smith and Rush Limbaugh share an afternoon together? Where else could Joe Pesci smoke a stogie next to David Duval?
Where else, but the 2001 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, where Politics meets Hollywood meets the PGA.
The Bob Hope Classic has always been about tradition, about professionals, amateurs and celebrities coming together. The tournament is about making a getaway to Palm Springs, one of the original golfing communities; where streets are named after entertainers and politicians like Frank Sinatra and Gerald Ford.
This year, Chairman Bob Hope was unable to attend the opening ceremonies. The first year, since inception, he has not made an appearance. Former President Gerald Ford filled in, but unfortunately wasn't able to play, as the tournament is a rigorous 5-day event.
Is this the end of an era? No, but the era is evolving. Part of the original magic still lives in Arnold Palmer, who every year continues to play in the event he has won five times past.
The tournament began it's rich history in 1960, and attracted celebrities such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds and Dwight Eisenhower. Arnold Palmer dominated the field throughout the 60's, and held a record at 22 under par that wouldn't be broken for almost two decades.
In the 70's The Rat Pack joined the party along with many professional athletes, which paved the road to the tournament of the new millennium.
Unfortunately, only four of the top 20 PGA players attended the 2001 Bob Hope Classic and only two of the top 10. Hats off to Hal Sutton and David Duval.
However, the tournament still drew most of the top players of this past season: Mark Calcavecchia, winner of the Phoenix Open, Brad Faxon, winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii, Steve Stricker, winner of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship and Frank Lickliter, who tied for 2nd at the Buick Invitational.
The absence of the top three players in the world is not to be expected exactly, but should be considered given the tournament's history. While the Bob Hope traditionally brings legends together with amateurs, many of the top players from the 60's and 70's skipped the Bob Hope regularly.
Tom Kite and Billy Casper played fairly often, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Jack Nicklaus only sporadically, while Hale Irwin and Gary Player only participated in the event four times.
The tournament spans over five days instead of the usual four, which may be a deterrent to many golfers who are on tough schedule. Each day golfers rotate between courses; the host course PGA West - Arnold Palmer's private course, Bermuda Dunes Country Club, Indian Wells Country Club and La Quinta Country Club.
This set-up also makes it challenging for spectators, as they, too, must rotate between the courses. And even after 5 days, they still may not get to see all their favorite players.
The Bob Hope is a unique tournament, different from the regular line-up of PGA events such as the Phoenix open. The gallery at the Bob Hope is older and comes to see well established players such as Arnold Palmer, Fred Couples, Mark O'Meara and Curtis Strange.
Contrary, The Phoenix Open is a very young crowd, it's known as a party tournament and people come to see the younger stars like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.
The tradition of golf in Palm Springs should be preserved and Bob Hope's absence should be a reminder of a great era past, but should ignite the start of a new one. People go to the Bob Hope to feel a part of history, and hope in future years more PGA players keep fueling the fire of tradition.
February 1, 2001