COURSE REVIEWS

Parnevik Saves His Best For Last

Birdie On Final Hole Earns Him
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Title

By Bob Buttitta,
GolfCalifornia.com Course Reviewer

 

	Jesper Parnevik

BERMUDA DUNES, CA--- Through the first 17 holes of the final round of the 2000 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Jesper Parnevik and Rory Sabbatini played a PGA version of "I don't want it you can have it." There were times when each player seemed to be in control of the tournament, only to fall apart and give the other a chance to get back into the tournament.

Finally, on the last hole, the veteran Parnevik made his move. A booming drive left him 255 yards from the hole. Taking a 5-wood, the 34-year-old native of Sweden put is second shot in the middle of the green.

His eagle putt came up 6-feet short, but with tournament host Bob Hope looking on, Parnevik calmly banged home the birdie putt, putting him 6-under for the day, and more importantly 27-under overall with a one stroke lead.

From there all Parnevik could do was go to the practice range and stay loose and hope that he didn't end up in a playoff. A few minutes later, Sabbatini's birdie putt on 18 slid by the hole, giving Parnevik the chance to light up a victory cigar in celebration of his first win at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. The win was worth $540,000 and ups Parnevik's earnings this year to $808,700, putting him first on the money list.

The victory is his third on the PGA Tour and extends his streak of consecutive years with a win to three. He becomes the first Swedish born player to collect three Tour victories and his five sub-par rounds gives him 11 consecutive rounds of par or better, a stat that leads the PGA.

"It was a little more interesting than I wanted," Parnevik said. "I've never won a tournament by one stroke so it was a different feeling going up 18 knowing I needed a birdie to win. It's been a great start so far."

The fact that Sabbatini even had a chance to putt for birdie was amazing considering how he played 18. His drive strayed off the fairway near a tree, giving him no chance to go for the green in two. With few options, he opted to lay-up with a wedge, but that went too far, landing him behind more trees and seemingly ending any chance at birdie.

But faced with an impossible situation, Sabbatini did the improbable, launching a sand wedge over the trees to within 25 feet. While obviously disappointed at not winning, Sabbatini said the overall experience was extremely positive.

"I don't feel like I lost it, Jasper played well today," Sabbatini said. "I lost my concentration for a bit because of a few distractions and it cost me but overall I played solid. For how I played on the back nine, I feel like I won. I was grinding on the back and I stayed in it. That's a positive for me."

Sabbatini cruised through the first nine holes of Sunday's final round, making five birdies and showing no signs of letting the pressure of leading a PGA event on the last day phase him. But Parnevik also had five birdies on the front side, keeping Sabbatini from running away.

But as he started the back nine, Sabbatini's walk in the park turned into a hike from hell. Consecutive bogeys on holes 10 and 11put Sabbatini's behind for the first time.

"Obviously I came off with great momentum after nine, after making that birdie," Sabbatini said. "I got to 10 and hit a little bit of an errant shot, and it's going to happen. You can't hit everything as you expect all day.

"I got up there (the green) and unfortunately there were a few distractions going on around the green which made it tough. I lost concentration and hit a bad chip shot."

The distraction was a marshal who nearly stepped on his ball twice. Sabbatini said it took him out of his train of thought and from there it played on his mind.

"It was pretty much out of my mind on the next hole but it pulled me out of my focus," he said. "It probably took me two holes to regain that focus and unfortunately, it was a costly two holes."

Although he didn't win, Sabbatini did take home his largest check ever, $324,000. He made just $388,000 for the entire 1999 season.

• More Bob Hope Chrysler Classic coverage • UA Student's Dream Comes True at the Hope • Past GolfCalifornia.com course reviews

Letting something so seemingly small bother him so much would appear to be the difference between a younger player like Sabbatini and a more seasoned veteran like Parnevik. On the 14th hole, Parnevik hit an errant tee shot that beaned a spectator, sending him to sprawling to the ground.

"I got up there and he was down on the ground and it looked like a big golf ball was growing out of his forehead," Parnevik said. "It was a terrible sight and he was lying there and we asked him if everything was fine.

"I asked him a few times if he was okay and he said `I'm fine. As long as you win the tournament, I'm okay.' So that was very comforting in a way. It's terrible when things like that happen."

Parnevik collected himself and made a par on the hole, keeping his lead. It disappeared the next hole when Parnevik made bogey but that nothing to do with the off the course distraction from the previous hole.

Having to come from behind at Bermuda Dunes was something that Parnevik was not thrilled with considering he has struggled at this course in previous years.

"I don't think I really shot any low scores around here," Parnevik said. "I don't know what it has been, I think even par is about what I shoot around here. I had terrible touch all week (with his putting) but I've been hitting my irons extremely well.

"I'm probably playing as well as I have in the last three to five years. I'm actually surprised at how well I'm hitting my irons. Any time I'm standing over a shot, I feel like I'm going to hit in within 10 feet from the hole. And all week I had putts within three to 10-feet. It's just when I got outside that range that I didn't know what to do."

Winning a tournament named in honor of one of the country's most beloved comedians is special to Parnevik because he father is one of the most famous comedians.

"Bob Hope has always been one of his favorite guys because he likes the same kind of humor," Parnevik said. "He does not know him (Hope) but he's one of his favorites."

	David Toms

David Toms made a run at the leaders over the final day by shooting a 5-under, 66. Toms, who had a breakthrough, season a year ago, winning nearly $2 million. He got close but was never able to claim a share of the lead. Needing at least a birdie on the final hole to put some heat on the leaders, he was only able to garner a par, finishing in a tie for third with J.L. Lewis at 25-under par. The two men each won $174,000.

Matt Gogel started the day just one stroke behind Sabbatini started dropping from the opening gun. Playing in just his second tour event, Gogel started the day with a bogey and from then on never challenged. He was even par on Sunday leaving him in tied for seventh place at 22-under.

	David Duval

Defending champion David Duval, who shot 59 on the final day last year, tied for fifth with Hal Sutton at 23-under. Duval struggled with the Bermuda Dunes greens all day and never made a charge.

Notes:

Ames Withdraws: Stephen Ames, who was among the leaders after four rounds of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, withdrew from the tournament because of pain in his shoulder/neck area. Ames shot a 64 on Saturday, putting him within two strokes of leader Rory Sabbatini.

But when Ames left the course he started feeling pain in his shoulder and neck. He worked with physical therapists for more than 30 minutes on Sunday morning, but when he went out to hit balls he could hardly swing a club due to weakness in his right hand and inability to turn his head.

"I'm disappointed I couldn't finish," Ames said. "I would have loved to have the opportunity to try and win this. However, a lot of positives came out of this week. The last two rounds, especially the 64, were very encouraging.

"This is only the second week of the year and I did not feel like I needed to push it. I can't wait to go back out next week because my game feels so good right now."

Amateur Title Winners: The amateur team of Robert Cayton, Douglas Woosnam and Tom Richards took first place honors at this year's Bob Hope Classic, posting an amazing 58-under for the four rounds. The ended up tied with the team of John Bohne, Ralph Miller and Robert Watson but took the title when they took the scores to the scorecard.

Rich Orr, Paul Smith, Jr. and Charles Kramer finished third at 57-under and Joe Joachim, Peter O'Shaughnessy and Joe Murdaca were fourth, also at 57-under.

Top finisher among the celebrity competitors was former New York Yankee Chili Davis, whose team finished fifth at 57-under. The team that included former Denver Bronco quarterback John Elway was 51-under, as was the team with San Francisco 49er wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Cheap Golf in the Desert: The Passport Group of Palm Springs, the group that sells the Passport to Palm Springs (discount golf and other attractions) is now offering the "Passport Stand-By" card for the single golfer. With the card, a golfer receives a 50 percent discount off the regular greens if they agree to play on a stand-by basis. For information call 760-321-4588.

Golf on Super Sunday: The Golf Channel will air a special gridiron episode following Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30. The show will feature interviews with past Super Bowl stars that will talk about the similarities and differences between golf and football. There will also be updates on the Senior Skins Game and the Phoenix Open.