Thin Field for Bob Hope Classic

By John Reger
SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PALM DESERT, California (Ticker) -- A lot of PGA Tour golfers are not enamored with the idea of playing with amateurs for four hours, much less four days. It shows this year in the field of 124 golfers that have committed to play at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, which begins Wednesday.

No one ranked in the top 20 is entered in this event. World No. 24 Stewart Cink is the highest-ranked player willing to endure five rounds on four courses with a mix of celebrities and amateurs for four of those days. Scott Verplank at No. 25 and 30th-ranked Mike Weir are the only two other players in the top 30 entered.

Golf fans are treated to players like Troy Matteson and Marc Turnesa, and would have a hard time picking them out of a lineup. The tournament used to be one of the most popular on tour. Starting in 1960, Arnold Palmer was the first winner - and other winners of that decade were Doug Sanders and Billy Casper. Champions in the 1970s and 80s included Johnny Miller, Craig Stadler, Corey Pavin, John Cook, Tom Kite and Fred Couples. In 1963, Jack Nicklaus defeated Gary Player in a playoff.

Last year Charley Hoffman defeated John Rollins in a playoff. Quite a difference, but the early success of the tournament was due in part to the efforts of comedian Bob Hope. Hope's affiliation with the tournament began in 1965, and he started packing the pro am format with A list celebrities. Bing Crosby, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Phil Harris, Desi Arnaz, Ray Bolger and Hoagy Carmichael all played in the event, while Jill St. John and Debbie Reynolds were Classic girls. Hope also managed to get four U.S. Presidents to play the event - Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

The disparity in celebrities these days is evident. The tournament has tried to attract more star power and enlisted comedian George Lopez last year to host the event. Lopez got the tournament to allow celebrities to play one or two rounds instead of four and last year got Clint Eastwood to show up for a day. But it has been difficult rounding up actors, athletes and other performers to make the drive out to the desert. "I have asked and Jack (Nicholson) doesn't like to play in front of people," Lopez said. "I also talked to Dennis Hopper. I've asked Bill Murray for the last two years, and he said no. "I'm not afraid of being rejected at all, so I do what I have to do as host and I don't let a few, the fact that I might be turned down."

Players don't seem to have a problem declining the pleas of tournament officials to play in the event. The tournament could usually count on Phil Mickelson, but the two-time champion decided he wanted to start his season at next week's Buick Invitational. Mickelson, who was never a fan of the pro am and actually worked an agreement where he didn't have to play in the celebrity portion of the event. He is in the majority there, as the new course is built in a wind tunnel and with no protection can wreak havoc on golfers.

Last year, the final pairing that included Hoffman took a little more than six hours to play because of the extremely windy conditions. "I was just trying to finish and take the least amount of strokes it took to get it in the hole because everybody obviously was struggling," Hoffman said. "It was a tough day, and it's something that's going to happen out at the Classic Club because they're so exposed."