The pro-am aspect of the Bob Hope Classic ended Saturday. This year, the winning team shot 71 under par, not bad for a 72-hole tournament!
On Sunday, it was back to business as usual for PGA Touring professionals. I could sense the more somber atmosphere. No more celebrities bantered with the gallery and no more high-fives after great shots. On the golf course, players spoke quietly and generally only with their caddies.
I looked forward to seeing some of the best players in the world really get down to business. I wasn’t disappointed. The morning was beautiful and seemed as if everyone was playing well. I followed Chad Campbell and after six holes, he was already 4-under par. In fact, everyone in his group was under par.
As I walked the golf course, I heard roars coming from everywhere. When the weather is idea and the greens are receptive, playing golf for these players is like throwing darts.
As I watched Jason Bohn hit a long drive off the ninth tee, Arnold Palmer drove by in a golf cart with his wife Kathleen. Bohn called out to Palmer and thanked him for doing so much for the tournament. I saw Palmer numerous times this week. He looked great and seemed to be having the time of his life. I believe his charismatic presence really added a lot to the tournament.
After Palmer drove off, I walked a short distance to the first green just in time to catch the leaders, Pat Perez and Steve Stricker. They both made par, but as we walked to the second tee, I noticed sand swirling in the air above a not too distant canyon. That meant the winds were coming. Within minutes, my hat blew off and I knew we’d be in for an interesting afternoon. For golfers, the winds bring a new factor into the equation. Suddenly, they have to guess exactly how the wind will affect the flight of their ball on every shot. In gusty conditions, this can be quite unnerving.
On the practice tee, Stricker mentioned that he didn’t sleep well and that he was feeling more nervous than normal. On the golf course, he seemed slightly uncomfortable with his swing, and didn’t appear to be his normal rock-solid self. Maybe the long week was taking a toll. He certainly didn’t need the added pressure of dealing with gusty winds.
On the seventh tee, Stricker watched his streak of 45 consecutive holes without a bogey come to an abrupt end. Trying to outguess the wind, he made a poor swing and hit his 3-wood into the water. Shaken, he struggled through the hole and ended with a triple-bogey seven. As Stricker’s game faltered, Perez seemed to gain more confidence.
The 10th hole at the Palmer Private can be intimidating, especially when the player has to deal with 30-mph winds. The tee shot requires an almost 200-yard carry over a lake that also runs up the entire left side of the fairway. The confident Perez teed off first and busted a long drive down the center of the fairway. When Stricker stepped onto the tee, the wind suddenly started blowing harder than it had all day. He backed away from the ball several times, waiting for the wind to calm, but to no avail. The wind sent his first drive far to the right and out-of-bounds. On his second drive, he made a poor swing and pulled the ball left into the water. His third drive got over the water but landed into a fairway bunker. He eventually made an eight and fell out of contention.
Meanwhile, a young professional named John Merrick was moving up the leader board. He caught Perez at 31 under par, but faltered on the final two holes.
The crowd around the 18th green erupted when the 32-year-old Perez hit his second shot to within a few feet of the hole. Needing only a par to win, he eagled the final hole and won the tournament by three shots.
It was Perez’s first victory on the PGA Tour and he deserved it. For five days, he played brilliantly. Pat always had the talent to win, but through the years, he has had difficulty controlling his temper and maintaining his focus.
In the press conference following the tournament, the recently married Perez spoke of how hard he had worked in the off season. He said that he had grown tired of being just an average tour player, so he lost weight, firmed-up and really tried to improve his golf swing.
Well, the hard work paid off, because there was certainly nothing average about the way Pat Perez played this week. He picked up a check for $918,000.
So, the 50th Bob Hope Classic is in the record books. It was a fun week and more than $1.5 million was raised for local charities.
What a great event!
Thanks to the officials and staff of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and PGA West for their help.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
After Palmer drove off, I walked a short distance to the first green just in time to catch the leaders, Pat Perez and Steve Stricker. They both made par, but as we walked to the second tee, I noticed sand swirling in the air above a not too distant canyon. That meant the winds were coming. Within minutes, my hat blew off and I knew we’d be in for an interesting afternoon. For golfers, the winds bring a new factor into the equation. Suddenly, they have to guess exactly how the wind will affect the flight of their ball on every shot. In gusty conditions, this can be quite unnerving.
Well, the hard work paid off, because there was certainly nothing average about the way Pat Perez played this week. He picked up a check for $918,000.