The Starter: Round 1, 50th Bob Hope Classic

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Jan. 21, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first group will soon tee off in today's first round of the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Here's how it sets up:

Note: This is a five-round pro-am event, with PGA TOUR players paired with amateur partners for the first four rounds. There will be a cut after the fourth round, and the field will be paired normally for the fifth and final round. The tournament is spread out over four courses. For a complete rundown of the four courses the field will play this week, click here.

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Player
11:57 am ET (8:57 am in California)		David Toms Toms has clearly said he wants to qualify for the Masters and THE PLAYERS. After his outstanding run last week in Hawaii, it looks promising. Track 'em
12:15 pm ET (9:15 am in California)		Heath Slocum One of the TOUR's most consistent players got off to a bad start last week in Hawaii. He'll be looking to rebound at a place that's been kind to him. Track 'em
12:06 pm ET (9:06 am in California)		D.J. Trahan Last year's winner here in the desert is off and running in the '09 season. Everyone expects a strong perfomance from the defending champion this week. Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Wednesday's first round:

Two Palmers are better than one. In the desert, we have both, and the younger one will be a force this week.

Arnold Palmer is the host of this year's 50th Bob Hope Classic. The King returns to a tournament where he not only won the inaugural event in 1960, but captured the title four more times before he stopped competing in 2003.

Wednesday's forecast

Cloudy
Temp: 80 high/51 low
Mostly cloudy with hints of sunshine. Winds will come from the south at 5-10 mph.

Ryan Palmer won the Ginn Sur Mer Classic in early November last season. He opened 2009 at the Mercedes Benz Championship with a 31st-place finish after finally getting his putter going in the final round, when he shot 66.

Ryan has played in four previous Bob Hope Classics and had a 10th-place finish in 2006. I watched Ryan play some of his practice round on Tuesday. He's striking the ball great and really loving a new TaylorMade Driver.

His length and accuracy will be an advantage on these wide fairways and receptive greens. Look for this 32-year-old named Palmer to keep his hot putter going and have a strong finish here this week. If Ryan were to win, he would break a five-year streak of champions that went winless in their previous year.

The rabbit population around the Palmer Private Course had the GOLF CHANNEL crew spreading rabbit repellent on the television wires all throughout the golf course. They told me that the rascally rabbits only like the expensive fiber optic cables -- they have no taste for the average electrical wires.

The one stat(s) you need to know

Fred Couples has an amazing record at the Bob Hope Classic. In his 23 previous starts in the event, he's made the cut 22 times while posting seven Top-10 finishes. He won the tournament in 1998, and is a collective 339-under with 70 rounds in the 60s. Dave Lancer, PGA TOUR

CALL HIM MR. 59 IF YOU WANT
Golf is a psychological game, and players are often advised to focus on the positive -- almost to a fault. That is why Harrison Frazar never minds discussing the 59 he shot in q-school right down the road last December.

Frazar

"Everybody asks me about it and people want to congratulate me and that's great," Frazar said. "I love it. There's a lot worse things you can be known for. So if people want to call you Mr. 59 or rib you a little bit, that's fantastic."

Frazar was medalist at q-school after topping a strong field in last year's competition, earning a return trip to the PGA TOUR. He knows that is another 59 is always possible at the Bob Hope Classic, where the birdies come fast and furious.

"I think that that's a dominant trait of this tournament is the birdie-fest and the fly at the pin so to speak and the attack mode," Frazar said. "There's not a lot of chop out, wedge up, try to save pars."

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry takes a look at The 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Watch it
	Palmer memories Justin Leonard talks about playing for Arnold Palmer on the 1996 Presidents Cup team. Watch it
	Back in the day Legendary rocker Alice Cooper talks about meeting Bob Hope. Watch it