No Hope but plenty of change for PGA event
A new name, a shorter tournament and fewer courses give this week's US PGA Humana Challenge something of a new feel compared to the event's prior history as the Bob Hope Classic.
What had been a 90-hole tournament since its inception in 1960 has been reduced to 72 holes and will be played over only three courses rather than four when the $5.6 million tournament tees off on Thursday.
"I think everybody's going to like the new format even better," American veteran Matt Kuchar said. "It has been great to see the tour make these tweaks."
Pros will play with different amateur partners for each of the first three rounds rather than a group of amateurs each day before a pros-only final round in quest of the $1 million top prize.
The event, named for the late US comedian Bob Hope for the past 47 years, now has an eight-year link with the foundation of former US President Bill Clinton.
Clinton's name on the event as the format changes have boosted the quality of the field a bit. Australian legend Greg Norman will make a rare start.
Four-time major champion Phil Mickelson will open his 2012 season at La Quinta. So will another US star, eighth-ranked Dustin Johnson.
"I think that what kept people from coming maybe in the past was the five days, the 12 different amateurs -- it's not for everybody, for sure," Kuchar said. "I think the new format is much more appealing to everybody."
It definitely is for Johnson Wagner, an American coming off a victory last week in Hawaii in the first full-field event of the 2012 US PGA season. He's happy to have one more day to rest and one less course to learn.
"It was always tough to start on Wednesday," Wagner said. "Coming from Hawaii, you come in and you get in Monday, you're basically dead all day and you got four courses to learn in a day-and-a-half. It was very challenging.
"It's better for the pros. Hopefully the pace of play will be better. And five rounds is a lot of golf. So I think that four rounds is going to be a great great change for the tournament this year."
The event will be played over the Nicklaus and Palmer courses at the PGA West resort, which ranked as two of the three least difficult courses on the PGA Tour last year, as well as La Quinta Country Club. All are par-72 layouts.
"I like these courses," Kuchar said. "I feel like they're straightforward. There are a lot of opportunities to score."
David Duval fired a 59 on the Palmer course 13 years ago with four 61s being recorded in 2009 and there have been 14 62s in the past four years.
Mickelson, a winner of the event in 2002 and 2004, makes his first start since the Singapore Open last November. The US left-hander ends a four-year absence from the tournament.
Wagner, who has three career PGA titles, has seen his dream of qualifying for the US Ryder Cup team boosted after a victory that also grabbed him a place in the field for the Masters next April.
"Last week was real special for me. I don't think it has quite sunk in," Wagner said. "Hopefully now that the pressure's off a little bit, maybe I can perform better on a more consistent basis.
"I'm in the Masters now, three months ahead of time, which is incredible. I'm in a lot more events that you can kind of hope to be in. I think it set me up into a position to actually achieve some of my longshot goals for this year, like playing on the (US) Ryder Cup team."
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What had been a 90-hole tournament since its inception in 1960 has been reduced to 72 holes and will be played over only three courses rather than four when the $5.6 million tournament tees off on Thursday.
"I think everybody's going to like the new format even better," American veteran Matt Kuchar said. "It has been great to see the tour make these tweaks."
Pros will play with different amateur partners for each of the first three rounds rather than a group of amateurs each day before a pros-only final round in quest of the $1 million top prize.
The event, named for the late US comedian Bob Hope for the past 47 years, now has an eight-year link with the foundation of former US President Bill Clinton.
Clinton's name on the event as the format changes have boosted the quality of the field a bit. Australian legend Greg Norman will make a rare start.
Four-time major champion Phil Mickelson will open his 2012 season at La Quinta. So will another US star, eighth-ranked Dustin Johnson.
"I think that what kept people from coming maybe in the past was the five days, the 12 different amateurs -- it's not for everybody, for sure," Kuchar said. "I think the new format is much more appealing to everybody."
It definitely is for Johnson Wagner, an American coming off a victory last week in Hawaii in the first full-field event of the 2012 US PGA season. He's happy to have one more day to rest and one less course to learn.
"It was always tough to start on Wednesday," Wagner said. "Coming from Hawaii, you come in and you get in Monday, you're basically dead all day and you got four courses to learn in a day-and-a-half. It was very challenging.
"It's better for the pros. Hopefully the pace of play will be better. And five rounds is a lot of golf. So I think that four rounds is going to be a great great change for the tournament this year."
The event will be played over the Nicklaus and Palmer courses at the PGA West resort, which ranked as two of the three least difficult courses on the PGA Tour last year, as well as La Quinta Country Club. All are par-72 layouts.
"I like these courses," Kuchar said. "I feel like they're straightforward. There are a lot of opportunities to score."
David Duval fired a 59 on the Palmer course 13 years ago with four 61s being recorded in 2009 and there have been 14 62s in the past four years.
Mickelson, a winner of the event in 2002 and 2004, makes his first start since the Singapore Open last November. The US left-hander ends a four-year absence from the tournament.
Wagner, who has three career PGA titles, has seen his dream of qualifying for the US Ryder Cup team boosted after a victory that also grabbed him a place in the field for the Masters next April.
"Last week was real special for me. I don't think it has quite sunk in," Wagner said. "Hopefully now that the pressure's off a little bit, maybe I can perform better on a more consistent basis.
"I'm in the Masters now, three months ahead of time, which is incredible. I'm in a lot more events that you can kind of hope to be in. I think it set me up into a position to actually achieve some of my longshot goals for this year, like playing on the (US) Ryder Cup team."