Celebrity field entries include musician Alice Cooper, former MLB pitcher Greg Maddux, and actors Kurt Russell and John O’Hurley; Yogi Berra serves as first “Classic Ambassador”
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Defending champion Pat Perez and past champions Mark Brooks, Chad Campbell, Joe Durant, David Duval, Donnie Hammond, Charley Hoffman, Justin Leonard, Jesper Parnevik, Craig Stadler, D.J. Trahan and Mike Weir are among the 128 professional entries for 51st Bob Hope Classic, Jan. 18-24 and played wholly within La Quinta for the first time.
Other pros in the Bob Hope Classic field include Michael Bradley, 13-time PGA TOUR winner Mark Calcavecchia, Tim Clark, Jason Dufner, Brian Gay, Paul Goydos, Jerry Kelly, Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, La Quinta resident Scott McCarron, Rocco Mediate, John Merrick, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, Justin Rose, John Senden, Michael Sim, Heath Slocum, Brandt Snedeker, 12-time PGA TOUR winner David Toms, Bo Van Pelt, Scott Verplank, Bubba Watson and Boo Weekley.
Gay, Toms, Na, Kelly, Kuchar, Weir, Senden, Clark and Leonard were in the top 30 on the PGA TOUR money list in 2009. Kelly, Senden, Toms, Slocum, Dufner, Verplank, Gay, Na and Weir ranked among the top 30 in last year’s final FedExCup playoff standings. Bradley, Gay, Kelly, Kuchar, Laird, Moore, Perez, Slocum and Van Pelt won on the PGA TOUR in 2009.
Bob Hope Classic sponsor’s exemptions were awarded to Murrieta, Calif. native Rickie Fowler, Sam Saunders (Arnold Palmer’s grandson), 13-time PGA TOUR winner Duval, the 1999 Bob Hope Classic champion on the strength of his closing-round 59, Mediate, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. native and USC product Jamie Lovemark, Joe Ogilvie, Steve Elkington and Billy Mayfair.
The Bob Hope Classic field is decorated with 10 major champions – Rich Beem (2002 PGA Championship), Brooks (1996 PGA Championship), Calcavecchia (1989 British Open), Duval (2001 British Open), Elkington (1995 PGA Championship), Lee Janzen (1993 and 1998 U.S. Open), Leonard (1997 British Open), Stadler (1982 Masters), Toms (2001 PGA Championship) and Weir (2003 Masters). Nineteen of the Bob Hope Classic’s 40 champions are also major champions.
The 21-year-old Fowler, the youngest rookie on the 2010 PGA TOUR, Blake Adams, Graham DeLaet, Matt Every, Martin Flores, Billy Horschel, Derek Lamely, 2009 PGA TOUR Q-School medalist Troy Merritt, Garth Mulroy, Cameron Percy, Alex Prugh, Josh Teater, Jerod Turner and Chris Wilson are members of the 2010 PGA TOUR rookie class that will be showcased at the Bob Hope Classic.
Conversely, 1980 Bob Hope Classic champion Stadler, 56, is the oldest player in the field and will join his son, Kevin, as the second father-son duo to play the Classic in the same year. The Stadlers and Jay and Bill Haas played in the 2005 Bob Hope Classic. The Stadlers last played together in the 2005 Canadian Open.
Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra has been named the first-ever “Classic Ambassador.” Berra, who played in the Classic 15 times from 1995-2009, will perform a wide variety of duties on behalf of the 2010 Classic.
Famed musician Alice Cooper, future baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux, actor/game show host John O’Hurley and actor Kurt Russell are among the celebrity athletes and entertainers set to participate.
Other celebrity participants for the 2010 Classic, a desert tradition since 1960, include: musicians Steve Azar, Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles), Robby Krieger (The Doors), Tommy Thayer (KISS), singers Josh Kelley and Clay Walker, actors Anthony Anderson (Law and Order), William Devane (24, The West Wing), Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice), Joel Gretsch (V), Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement), Kyle MacLachlan (Desperate Housewives), Bruce McGill (Animal House, MacGyver, W), Chris O’Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy), Michael Pena (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), who had a hole in one during last year’s Classic, Alfonso Ribiero (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Catch-21), Stephanie Szostak (The Devil Wears Prada), Gary Valentine (King of Queens, Comedian), Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld), actor/comedian Kevin Nealon, comedian Tom Dreesen, Grammy Award-nominated stand-up comic Ron White, chef and barbecue guru Chris Lilly, television show personality and author Dr. Phil McGraw, aerospace pioneer and designer Burt Rutan, snowboarding standout Toby Dawson, former Major League Baseball and National Football League standout Bo Jackson, 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria, former NHL star Jeremy Roenick, Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, former Buffalo Bills outstanding wide receiver Andre Reed, former Green Bay Packers wide receiver and NFL analyst Sterling Sharpe, NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith, six-time Pro Bowl selection and “Dancing With the Stars” runner-up Jason Taylor, 1986 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star quarterback Vinny Testaverde and former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck.
The celebrity field’s schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 20, SilverRock Resort; Thursday, Jan. 21, La Quinta Country Club; Friday, Jan. 22, Nicklaus Private at PGA WEST; Saturday, Jan. 23, Arnold Palmer Private at PGA WEST.
The host course for the Bob Hope Classic will be the Palmer Private at PGA West, which joined the Classic rotation in 1988. Other courses in play in 2010 include La Quinta Country Club, a Classic course since 1965, SilverRock Resort, which debuted in 2008, and the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West, which returns to the rotation for the second consecutive year. The celebrity field’s schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 20, SilverRock Resort; Thursday, Jan. 21, La Quinta Country Club; Friday, Jan. 22, Nicklaus Private at PGA WEST; Saturday, Jan. 23, Arnold Palmer Private at PGA WEST.
Practice rounds for the 2010 Classic at all four courses will be conducted Monday, Jan. 18 and Tuesday, Jan. 19. Tournament play begins Wednesday, Jan. 20 and concludes Sunday, Jan. 24 at the Palmer Private at PGA WEST. The five-day Classic features 128 top PGA TOUR professionals and 384 amateur contestants, including 30 celebrities. All five days of the Classic will be televised on Golf Channel. At stake is a purse of $5 million, $900,000 to the winner.
The Classic has taken its fan-friendly experience to a new level. Its new Web site, www.bobhopeclassic.com, is one of many platforms by which fans can more easily gain information about, and purchase tickets for, the 2010 Classic.
Along with the new Web site, fans can follow pre-tournament and tournament-week action on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BobHopeClassic) and on Twitter (@bobhopeclassic). There, fans can not only catch up on Classic news and see exclusive celebrity photos and quotes from the always-popular Pro-Am, but enter a variety of contests for the chance to win Bob Hope Classic tickets and other tournament prizes. From a haiku contest to photo caption contests to trivia, fans have a multitude of chances to win.
In 50 years, the Classic has donated more than $47 million to charities throughout the Coachella Valley. For more information, go to www.bobhopeclassic.com or call 1.888.MRBHOPE (672.4673).
2010 Bob Hope Classic Final Field List
(subject to change up until tee times on Wednesday, Jan. 20)
Blake Adams
Woody Austin
Briny Baird
Ricky Barnes
Cameron Beckman
Rich Beem
Shane Bertsch
Matt Bettencourt
Kris Blanks
Jason Bohn
Justin Bolli
Michael Bradley
Mark Brooks
Mark Calcavecchia
Chad Campbell
Alex Cejka
Greg Chalmers
Daniel Chopra
Tim Clark
Chad Collins
Chris Couch
Ben Crane
Brian Davis
Brendon de Jonge
Graham DeLaet
Chris DiMarco
Jason Dufner
Joe Durant
David Duval
Steve Elkington
Bob Estes
Matt Every
Brad Faxon
Steve Flesch
Martin Flores
Rickie Fowler
Harrison Frazar
Brian Gay
Tom Gillis
Mathew Goggin
Paul Goydos
Bill Haas
Donnie Hammond
J.P. Hayes
Charley Hoffman
Billy Horschel
Charles Howell III
Ryuji Imada
Fredrik Jacobson
Lee Janzen
Kevin Johnson
Richard S. Johnson
Matt Jones
Jerry Kelly
Jeff Klauk
Greg Kraft
Matt Kuchar
Martin Laird
Derek Lamely
Justin Leonard
Jamie Lovemark
Steve Lowery
Bill Lunde
David Lutterus
Jeff Maggert
John Mallinger
Billy Mayfair
Scott McCarron
George McNeill
Rocco Mediate
John Merrick
Troy Merritt
Ryan Moore
Garth Mulroy
Kevin Na
James Nitties
Nick O’Hern
Joe Ogilvie
Jeff Overton
Greg Owen
Ryan Palmer
Rod Pampling
Brenden Pappas
Jesper Parnevik
Cameron Percy
Pat Perez
Tim Petrovic
Carl Pettersson
Scott Piercy
D.A. Points
Alex Prugh
Ted Purdy
Brett Quigley
Jeff Quinney
Chez Reavie
Justin Rose
Sam Saunders
John Senden
Michael Sim
Webb Simpson
Ron Skayhan
Heath Slocum
Brandt Snedeker
Craig Stadler
Kevin Stadler
Kevin Streelman
Chris Stroud
Kevin Sutherland
Roger Tambellini
Vaughn Taylor
Josh Teater
Nicholas Thompson
Chris Tidland
David Toms
D.J. Trahan
Jerod Turner
Marc Turnesa
Omar Uresti
Bo Van Pelt
Scott Verplank
Johnson Wagner
Jimmy Walker
Bubba Watson
Boo Weekley
Mike Weir
Jay Williamson
Garrett Willis
Chris Wilson
Alternates:
Jeff Gove
Henrik Bjornstad
Chris Baryla
Cameron Tringale
Steve Wheatcroft
Brian Stuard
Rich Barcelo
Michael Connell
Craig Bowden
Chris Riley
Contact:
Toby Zwikel
(818) 462-5599
Pat Bennett
(760) 346-8184
