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 1960Arnold Palmer wins the first Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic with a 22-under-par 338 over five rounds. There was another Palmer in the field — Johnny — who was in contention for the first four rounds, but Arnie’s closing 65 secured the title. Palmer’s winning mark stood until Rik Massengale won with a 337 in 1977, and the top prize of $12,000 would be the highest in the first five editions of the tournament.  1963Jack Nicklaus beats Gary Player after 18 extra holes. The pair each finished at 15-under after 90 holes and competed in the playoff at Indian Wells Country Club to break the tie. The Golden Bear torched the layout with a 7-under 65 to comfortably beat the South African. The 1963 event was the only time an 18-hole playoff was used. Tommy Jacobs and Jimmy Demaret participated in the first sudden-death format the next year.  1965With television creating more exposure and profit potential for golf events, Bob Hope signs on as tournament host and the event is renamed the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Organizers secure $100,000 in television rights from NBC, which prompts a $30,000 purse increase from the previous year. Hope’s hilarious touches allowed the tournament to flourish into one of the PGA Tour’s most endearing staples, and the entertainer’s association fostered more charitable involvement that helped lead to the founding of Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.  1972Frank Sinatra tees it up for the first time and adds to the star power of the event, which ranged from Bing Crosby and Desi Arnaz to Kirk Douglas and Dwight Eisenhower. Sinatra, who had his own PGA Tour event in the desert — the Frank Sinatra Open Invitational — played in the Hope five more times and also served as an entertainer at the event’s gala ball in 1971 and 1975.  1973Arnold Palmer wins last PGA Tour event. With four victories in the first 13 years of the Bob Hope Desert Classic, Palmer had established himself as a dominant desert force. But at 43, his skills were waning and he hadn’t won a PGA Tour event in 18 months. He reasserted himself, however, by defeating Nicklaus and a young Johnny Miller by two strokes for his fifth title in the desert.  1985Lanny Wadkins defeats Craig Stadler in five extra holes. Sudden-death victories were becoming a staple at the Hope, with winners from 1982-1986 winning in a playoff. The most dramatic was when Wadkins beat Stadler, a San Diegan, on the fifth extra hole at Indian Wells. Paired together in the final round, Wadkins shot a 65 and Stadler a 66 to end regulation at 27-under 333 to break the tournament scoring record.  1992John Cook wins five-man playoff. One of the most crowded playoffs involved five players: John Cook, Mark O’Meara, Tom Kite, Gene Sauers and Rick Fehr, who each finished regulation at 24-under. The group alternated between the first and 18th holes at Bermuda Dunes. Kite and O’Meara were eliminated after one hole, and Fehr fell next after he failed to birdie No. 18. Sauers seemed to have the upper hand on Cook with an easy birdie bid on No. 1, but Cook chipped in for a birdie to bring the match back to the 18th hole. Cook chipped in again for an eagle to win the first of his two Hope titles.  1995Presidents make history with Hoch. Hope champions often play with marquee celebrities when defending their title. Scott Hoch, the 1994 winner, played in one of the most unique groupings in the history of the sport. President Bill Clinton, former presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, and Bob Hope, teed it up with Hoch in the first round. After plenty of wayward shots at Indian Wells — two of Bush’s shots hit spectators and one of Clinton’s drives settled in someone’s yard — Bush posted a 92 to beat Clinton by a stroke and Ford by eight shots. Hoch seemingly kept his nerves in check and shot a 70.  199959! David Duval began the final round at PGA West’s Palmer Course seven shots behind leader Fred Funk. A 31 by Duval on the front nine cut into the deficit, and six birdies on his next seven holes had the gallery buzzing. After a par on No. 17, Duval needed an eagle on the par-5 18th to shoot a 59 and post 26 under for the tournament. He hit a 5-iron to six feet, then drained the eagle putt for what remains one of the normally stoic golfer’s most exuberant celebrations. He almost needed extra holes, but Steve Pate missed an 18-footer for birdie on No. 18 that would have forced a playoff. Duval’s 59 remains the only time that score has been posted in the final round of a PGA Tour event.  2001Durant breaks record, Palmer shoots his age. The low-scoring barrage at the Hope reached a new level thanks to Joe Durant, who had 36 birdies and one eagle over 90 holes to break Kite’s 35-under-par mark by a stroke. But perhaps the most memorable round that year was a 1-under 71 on the Palmer Course at PGA West — fired by a 71-year-old named Arnold Palmer. It was only the third time in PGA Tour history a player shot his age. Following the round, Palmer joked with reporters at his press conference: “I wondered why in the hell you wanted me in here. I couldn’t figure it out.” CLICK HERE FOR A RECAP OF TIGER WOODS AT THE BUICK INVITATIONAL CLICK HERE FOR AMY ALCOTT'S THOUGHTS ON RIVIERA AND THE NORTHERN TRUST OPEN CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO WEST COAST SWING PREVIEW |
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