Defending champion Justin Leonard heads professional field
PALM DESERT, Calif. – Celebrity tournament golf in the California desert in January has been a tradition since 1960, and the 47th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Jan. 16-22, 2006, will provide the latest renewal of that pastime.
Early celebrity participants for the 2006 Classic include: Marcus Allen, Yogi Berra, Michael Bolton, Glen Campbell, Don Cheadle, Roger Clemens, Alice Cooper, Carson Daly, Tom Dreesen, David James Elliott, Mike Eruzione, Samuel L. Jackson, George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Craig T. Nelson, Shawn Parr, Joe Pesci, Maury Povich, Darius Rucker, Burt Rutan, Sterling Sharpe and Justin Timberlake.
The celebrity field’s schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 18, Bermuda Dunes Country Club; Thursday, Jan. 19, La Quinta Country Club; Friday, Jan. 20, Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA WEST; Saturday, Jan. 21, Classic Club, which is the Classic’s host site for the first time.
Joining the celebrities is a professional field headed up by defending champion Justin Leonard.
The Classic will be televised on USA network during the week and ABC Sports on the weekend. At stake is a tournament-record purse of $5 million, $900,000 goes to the winner.
Other early professional entries include Olin Browne, Brad Bryant, Mark Calcavecchia, Tim Clark, Ben Crane, Brad Faxon, Fred Funk, Robert Gamez, Jason Gore, Brandt Jobe, John Cook, Keith Fergus, Lucas Glover, Steve Jones, Donnie Hammond, Billy Mayfair, Geoff Ogilvy, Tim Petrovic, Carl Pettersson, Ted Purdy, Heath Slocum, Vaughn Taylor and Mike Weir. Browne, Bryant, Calcavecchia, Crane, Faxon, Funk, Gamez, Glover, Gore, Leonard, Ogilvy, Petrovic, Pettersson, Purdy, Slocum and Taylor won on the TOUR in 2005. Cook, Fergus, Jones, Hammond, Leonard and Weir are past Bob Hope Chrysler Classic champions.
In 46 years, the tournament has donated nearly $42 million to local charities throughout the Coachella Valley. Tickets priced at only $25 per day, with several packages offering additional savings, and further details are available at www.bhcc.com or by calling 1.888.MRBHOPE (672.4673).
Contact:
Toby Zwikel
(818) 344-6195
Pat Bennett
(760) 346-8184
