Bob Hope Classic Wrapup
Playing conservative and making pars is not the usual mindset of a player at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Usually they attack the course and make as many birdies as possible to compete with the other ridiculously low scores. Charley Hoffman chose the first strategy.
Hoffman kept that strategy in mind and was two over par in his final round through 16 holes but managed to keep himself in contention. With a par three and a par five to end, Hoffman closed with a birdie then an eagle. Those two holes vaulted him from fourth place to a playoff with John Rollins. Hoffman made short work of Rollins, defeating him with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win his first PGA Tour event.
Players appeared exhausted and frustrated on the usually placid PGA West courses in Palm Springs, Calif. For the players who made the weekend, this five round format required 90 holes to be played in winds that reached 40 miles per hour and rounds which lasted more than six hours. While Robert Allenby stood over a putt, the winds gusted so hard that he stepped off the putt, reexamined it, took his visor off (in fear of it blowing off in mid-putt), got back over the putt and, with all the consideration, still came up four feet short on a 20 foot putt.
Hoffman’s total of 343, 17 under par, was the least under par since 1989 when Steve Jones won with the same score. But, the result was all that Hoffman was concerned about.
Last year’s Frys.com Open saw Hoffman in position to win his first PGA Tour title, but late in his final round a second shot landed in the water and landed him out of contention. This time Hoffman capitalized on his opportunity to win.
When most of the top ten struggled to keep their final round under par, Hoffman waded in the water until the par three 17th. Already watching his playing partner, Jeff Quinney, ace the 17th and with many members of the gallery still reeling from the hole-in-one, Hoffman quietly dropped his birdie putt. Needing the thirteen foot eagle putt on the 18th to tie John Rollins, Hoffman converted his putt to shoot a modest 71 and put himself in the playoff which he won quickly.
This week Tiger returns to action, Phil returns to San Diego and the PGA Tour returns to Torrey Pines for the Buick Invitational. Check-in with hookedongolf.com all this week for updates and results.
