Golf

Golf in the desert with no Hope

By Brian Hoyle
January 19, 2012

This week’s PGA tour stop in Palm Springs used to be Bob Hope’s 5-day smoosh-fest
officially dubbed the Palm Springs Golf Classic. The event was known for its breath-taking
scenery, hard-partying, crowding-scattering tee shots by late President Gerald Ford, and
rounds that stretched 5 to 6 hours as movie stars and CEOs whiffed the ball from rough to
pond. After Hope’s death, the tournament huffed on for some years with celebrities like
George Lopez assuming the role of resident golfer-comic. But, the magic of Hope was gone
and the formula went stale.

This year brings welcome change. The tournament is back to the regular 4-day format. And,
big Bill Clinton has weighed in as a tournament sponsor. The Clinton Foundation has
saddled up with health- and life-insurance provider Humana to host this year’s event. The
prospect of being paired in the foursome with President Clinton and his legions of security
must be a bit daunting (do golf security agents wear dark suits, sunglasses, and have those
top-secret ear buds?).

Despite the oozing celeb-gushing by the commentators, the tournament has offered
moments of golf greatness. The topper is David Duval’s final round 59 that captured the
1999 title. Last year saw Venezuelan pro Jhonattan Vegas cop the crown in his first few
weeks after graduating from the Nationwide tour (thankfully, the TV folks have stopped
endlessly calling him Johnny Vegas). After round one this year, the leader at 9-under-par is
ever-so-buff Camilo Villegas.

No doubt the tournament broadcast will feature celebs hamming it up and the broadcast
focussing more on flash than golf talent. And yet, behind the glitz is some pretty fine golf. The
two courses used in the first three days (one of them, PGA West, is the final day venue) do
not pose much of a threat to the pros, and a winning score in the 20-under range is not
surprising. This can result in a multi-man race to the finish, with birdies needing to be
matched by birdies. It can be exciting stuff to watch.

Last week, I was one of many who got acquainted with Bud Cauley, an oh-so-young phenom
who made the tour based on his money-earning prowess in the handful of events he was
able to play in last year. No Q-school route for him, one of just a very few to do so. His swing,
talent, poise, and attitude seemingly must produce a win. It would not be at all a shocker to
see him hoist the trophy this week. Certainly he’s in the mix, sitting at 6-under after round one.

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