TOUR Insider: Mickelson set for '07 debut  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent Chad Campbell defends his title, Phil Mickelson makes his 2007 PGA TOUR debut, Arnold Palmer still contributes via two of the four host courses and the TOUR Insider thinks the late Bob Hope wouldn't be focusing much on George Lopez or any of the other celebrity players when there's so much good golf -- 90 holes -- worth watching at the 48th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Comedian Lopez will be a wonderful stand-in host of this long running pro-am event played on four courses in the Palm Springs, and while there's always a reason for fans to do a little star-gazing, the PGA TOUR's move to the mainland after two weeks in Hawaii brings with it scintillating golf and intriguing storylines.  (WireImage)
None exceed the return of Phil Mickelson. The reigning Masters champion hasn't been seen since the Ryder Cup last September and has competed on the PGA TOUR since late August at the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Championship in Akron, Ohio. A two-time winner of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Mickelson, 36, will invite plenty of scrutiny in the 128-player field that is sure to again feast on the dry, desert conditions abetted by setups at each of the four courses featuring medium-fast greens and little rough (about 2 ½ inches). We'll see if he finally has the '06 U.S. Open disappointment out of his system, though it might be hard to tell amid some rust. Concentration is the key this week not only because of the brawny demands of the host course -- Palmer's Classic Course (he also designed the Palmer Course at PGA West) -- but also because of the pro-am format. Celebrities bring their own brand of entertainment, valuable to fans and television viewers alike, but the players can't get caught up in the limelight and laughter. Campbell, who won by three strokes last year, learned how to balance golf and guffaws, and he credits the celebs for knowing how to push the envelope without crumbling it. "I met a lot of good people and a lot of guys I already played with, but at times it can get a little bit hectic. The celebrities ... know what is going on. They know you are out there doing a job. They do their thing whenever we are walking down the fairway and nothing is going on (during play)." The celebs and amateur must do something right. Since 1990, the winning score has been at least 21 under par, and two of the three lowest 72-hole scores in relation to par in PGA TOUR history have been posted at this event -- by Joe Durant in 2001 and Tim Herron in '03. Even better, pros and amateurs have combined to help raise more than $43 million that has gone to local charities in throughout the Coachella Valley. Worth knowing: Of the last 10 winners of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, six finished 30th or higher in the previous year. The exceptions are Fred Couples in 1998, David Duval in 1999 and Phil Mickelson in 2002 and '04. Among the notable players, besides Mickelson, making their season debuts is past champs Couples, Duval (who false-started at the Sony Open in Hawaii by withdrawing before getting to Oahu), Justin Leonard and Ryder Cup players Vaughn Taylor and Scott Verplank, the latter a runner-up finisher last year. Kenny Perry, who won the '95 Hope and has four other top-10s, chipped in twice during a second-round 66 Friday at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and maybe it was just a coincidence; he had just put two new Titleist Vokey wedges in his bag. He also installed Shock Blok graphite shafts in his irons in hopes that they will absorb more vibration and alleviate stress on his chronically sore left elbow. The number of players who are continuing on to their third straight event of '02 is 12, including Campbell and Durant. The others: Eric Axley, Ben Curtis (still seeking a sub-par round this year), J.B. Holmes, Will MacKenzie, Corey Pavin, Carl Pettersson, John Rollins, John Senden, D.J. Trahan, and Dean Wilson. Mark O'Meara, who turned 50 on Jan. 13, received a sponsor exemption into the Hope, where he twice was runner-up, but plans to play mostly on the Champions Tour this year. Among the events he says he'll miss in '07 is the upcoming AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which he won five times. O'Meara and Bob Tway have the most top-10 finishes among players in the field with six apiece. Another incoming Champions Tour player, Bernhard Langer, also received a sponsor exemption, and it isn't wasted; he's been in the top 10 in four of his seven appearances. Meanwhile, past champion Keith Fergus, who won the last of his three PGA TOUR titles at the 1983 Hope, is the oldest player in the field at age 52. He last made the cut in Palm Desert in 1999. Jack Nicklaus, who retired from competitive golf at the 2005 British Open, says he has no plans to compete in this year's Memorial Tournament, which he hosts at his own Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, and probably won't play there again. "I'm done playing (regular tournaments). It's not something I can prepare to do properly," said the U.S. Presidents Cup captain. "I haven't had a golf score since I holed out at St. Andrews." Loren Roberts, whose debut last year on the Champions Tour began with three straight victories, and Jay Haas, the Charles Schwab Cup champion, headline the field at this week's Champions Tour opener, the MasterCard Championship in Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii. Roberts, 51, says he plans to play a limited number of events again on the regular tour but intends to use an exemption to play more frequently in '08, using his one-time exemption as a top-50 money winner (he's currently ranked 28th). |
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