This week’s Bob Hope Classic is a little different to your standard PGA Tour event. Firstly it’s a Pro-Am played over 5 rounds. So what I hear you say? Well the first 4 rounds are played with Amateurs, so each round is excruciatingly long, up to 6 hours, which in itself doesn’t suit a lot of players as patience and concentration is key. Pin placements are also easy to suit so the PGA professionals have an absolute blast attacking each and every pin for the first 4 days. LOW SCORES are an absolute must and bogeys simply aren’t tolerated.
The Bob Hope is based in La Quinta, California and takes in a rotation of 4 courses with the cut being made after this rotation. The final round is then around the ‘host’ Palmer course, with considerably tougher pin positions. This is desert style golf, played at altitude so I have pulled together a Bob Hope team that pulls together players who perform well in ‘thin air’ conditions and who can also play attacking golf, with the end result being birdies. Shot making, excellent wind navigation and great attacking iron play will be the key at the Bo
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Martin Laird
1pt EW @ 45/1
RESULT:
Missed Cut
Firstly we are snapping up the 45/1 on offer at Stan James. I’d be quick it won’t last. American’s dominate the Champions List at the BHC, indeed the only European winner in the recent past has been Parnevik in 2000. However Laird is an honorary American for me this week! He lives in nearby Scottsdale PLUS learnt his college golf at altitude in Colorado. Put simply Laird has the ‘eye’ for desert style golf and his resume is superb. Martin is desperate to get into Monty’s Ryder Cup team for the Celtic Manor and the PGA Tour member knows that the only way to qualify will be via 1 of 3 Captain’s selections. Therefore he has to make waves now and he has already started the process. He won the Las Vegas based Timberlake Shriners in October after finishing 2nd in September at the Renoe-Tahoe, in the desert of Arizona. A T5 at the SBS Championship helped as well. He shot -19 (good enough for 54th!) on his first visit to the BHC last year and I’m expecting him to go much deeper this week.
Justin Leonard
1pt EW @
28/1
RESULT:
Missed Cut
Let’s add tournament and desert winning experience to this week’s BHC team. I went for Justin in this tournament last year but a first round Level Par 72 blew his chances on the Wednesday! He was 14/1 clear favourite for the tournament so the 28s on offer exclusively at Stan James should be snapped up quickly! I love Leonard this week for a number of reasons. Firstly he’s Texan and the Dallas resident like many before him plays desert golf brilliantly. Four Top 10 finishes including a Win (2005) and a 2nd (2008) show that he’s over-priced. I’m also drawn to the fact that this week will be his 11th straight BHC proving he looks forward to and love the tournament. A 2nd in November at Disney and 2nd at the ‘off season’ Shark Shoot Out prove his game is in-shape to record his 13th PGA Tour win and first since 2008.
Charley Hoffman
1pt EW @ 45/1
RESULT:
Missed Cut
I personally can’t stand his hair style, but I’m glad to have Charley as the 3rd member of my crack BHC squad. In 3 appearances at the BHC, the Las Vegas based Hoffman has never finished outside the Top 20. Like Leonard his 2009 campaign was scuppered by an opening round 72, but he still finished 19th. He won his maiden (and only) PGA Tour event on debut here in 2007 and backed that up with 8th in 2008. Think he likes the set-up? Other factors attract me to ‘The Hoff’ this week. His desert golf resume is top notch. Take last year – 2nd FBR Open, 8th Texas Open (played at altitude) and 6th Timberlake Shriners….and there are other Top 10 desert results. He makes plenty of birdies and HAS end of 2009 upwardly mobile form.
Rickie Fowler
1pt EW @ 50/1
RESULT:
Missed Cut
Ok so now a sprinkling of youth for the team. You could charge me of getting caught up in the hype about the most talked about rookie for years. Indeed watching every shot of him missing the cut at the Sony Open on the Golf Channel was embarrassing…..for the US media hype machine. The guy NEVER had a chance at Waialee, a course that clearly doesn’t suit his attacking style. However this week is a different story. Californian Fowler will be playing a ‘home game’ as he is based locally to the La Quinta / Palm Springs so he WILL know all the 5 courses well. His game is all out attack and can the boy putt….sure he can, he’s a birdie machine. Expect big things from Mr Fowler on ‘his’ turf this week.
John Mallinger
0.5pt EW @ 100/1
RESULT:
Missed Cut
I have a hunch on Mallinger this week. The stats don’t back me up totally as he’s not a birdie machine or massive par breaker. He hasn’t even got course form of any real note. However I can’t leave him out of my team this week after a long deliberation…..and here are the reasons why. Mallinger CAN go low, he shot 62 in the Nevada desert last October. I like Californian’s at this event for obvious reasons. His best friend is John Merrick who finished 2nd here last year and Mallinger has a very similar game, accurate from tee to green and a decent putter. Many are tipping him for much greater things and I’m on the band wagon for his first outing of 2010.
Jeff Quinney
1pt Top 10 @ 12/1
RESULT:
T26
Thanks Victor I’ll snap up the 12/1! A local Santa Fe resident, Quinney is on the road to recovery from a poor 2009. In 07 & 08 things were a much different story with 8 T10 finishes. Indeed Quinney was the next big thing. A Top 100 World Golf Ranking, trips to the Open Championship and over $3.5 million in earnings. However his first win NEVER came and the demons attacked his game. Take note though the green roots of recovery are visible as 2nd at the Renoe-Tahoe in September show. Jeff is a west coast specialist, is incredibly streaky and can make piles of birdies. Won’t win but could well contend.
