January 07, 2009
PAST CHAMPIONS TRAHAN, WEIR, LEONARD, DURANT, HAMMOND, HOFFMAN AMONG EARLY ENTRIES FOR 50th BOB HOPE CLASSIC HOSTED BY ARNOLD PALMER, JAN. 19-25
Stills, Longoria, Jackson, Rice, Russell, Johnson, Quayle Among Celebs
La Quinta, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2009). - Past champions Joe Durant, Donnie Hammond, Charley Hoffman, Justin Leonard and Mike Weir are among the early professional entries to join defending champion D.J. Trahan in the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer, Jan. 19-25.
Trahan will return to defend his 2008 Bob Hope Classic title, which he won by three strokes over Leonard after firing a final-round, 7-under-par 65 to finish at 26-under 334 over 90 holes. Trahan trailed by four strokes entering the final round. It was the second title of his PGA TOUR career. All five days of The Classic will be televised on Golf Channel. At stake is a purse of $5.1 million, $918,000 to the winner. The five-day Classic features 128 PGA TOUR professionals and 384 amateur contestants, including a stellar list of 30 celebrities.
Celebrity participants for the Classic, a desert tradition since 1960, include: former Major League Baseball and National Football League standout Bo Jackson, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria; famed musicians Huey Lewis, Stephen Stills, Michael Bolton, Alice Cooper, Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles), Josh Kelley and country singer Clay Walker; actors Kurt Russell, Chris O'Donnell, Thomas Gibson, Oliver Hudson, Jeffrey Donovan, Don Johnson, Kyle MacLachlan, William Devane and Bruce McGill; actor/comedian Kevin Nealon; actor/game show host John O'Hurley; timeless New York Yankees baseball legend Yogi Berra; comedian Tom Dreesen; NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and sportscaster Dan Fouts; Hall of Fame sportscaster Keith Jackson; 13-time Pro Bowler and all-time leading NFL scorer Jerry Rice, Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson; former Green Bay Packers wide receiver and NFL analyst Sterling Sharpe; television financial host Joe Kernen, and former Vice President Dan Quayle. The celebrity field's schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 21, SilverRock Resort; Thursday, Jan. 22, Bermuda Dunes Country Club; Friday, Jan. 23, Nicklaus Private at PGA West; Saturday, Jan. 24, Arnold Palmer Private at PGA WEST.
Palmer, a sporting and Coachella Valley icon, played in the tournament 42 of its 50 years and is the only five-time champion, winning the inaugural tournament in 1960 and again in 1962, '68, '71 and '73. He won a total of 62 PGA TOUR titles.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary tournament, the Bob Hope Classic's host course will be the Palmer Private at PGA West. Other courses in the 2009 rotation include Bermuda Dunes Country Club, an original tournament course, La Quinta's SilverRock Resort, which debuted in 2008, and the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West, in the rotation for the first time.
In 49 years, the tournament has donated more than $45 million to charities throughout the Coachella Valley. Tickets are only $25 per day, with several packages offering additional savings. For more information, go to www.bhcc.com or call 1.888.MRBHOPE (672.4673).
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