The official name of the tournament is “The Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation,” but golf fans may be more familiar with it’s old name, the Bob Hope Classic. Whatever you want to call it, the tournament takes place Jan. 19-22 at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.
Humana Challenge 2012 Preview: Jhonattan Vegas Aims To Repeat
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bill Haas and others will join defending champion Jhonattan Vegas at the tournament formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic.
The PGA Tour and President Bill Clinton announced the eight-year title sponsorship last April. “The PGA TOUR has always been a leader in philanthropy,” President Clinton said. “I’m so pleased that my Foundation has committed to working with the TOUR and Humana to raise awareness for global health and continue to improve the lives of people around the world.”
Jhonattan Vegas returns as the defending champion with fond memories. It was the first -- and only -- win of his career, and it came in just his second tournament as a full member of the PGA Tour. From mydesert.com:
“I just have a lot of great memories just flashing through my head,” he said. “Just as easy as that. Watching that 10th hole, watching that 18th hole, so many things I can think of, all the moments I lived on those two holes. Just the place, man. Just coming here and seeing everything. It’s like coming home.”
Vegas had just two more top 10 finishes (and four more top 25 finishes) the rest of 2011, so he’ll be eager to repeat his performance. He’s had a slow start to 2012, finishing 27th in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and T46th Sony Open earlier this month.
The rest of the field features 143 other golfers competing for a share of the $5.6 million purse (first place nets $1,008,000), headlined by Phil Mickelson, FedEx cup winner Bill Haas and a total of 13 former major winners, including Greg Norman and Lee Janzen. Dustin Johnson is the highest-ranked player in the tournament at No. 8, and he’ll be playing in his first event since undergoing knee surgery in November. Martin Laird, who finished second in last week’s Sony Open, and Harrison Frazar, who already has two top five finishes, will also be competing. For a full breakdown of the field, check out PGATour.com.
In addition to changing names, this year’s tournament also has a new format, with golfers competing on 72 holes over four days instead of 90 over five. Also, pros will be paired with just one amateur instead of three. Three different courses will be used -- PGA West’s Nicklaus course, PGA West’s Palmer course and La Quinta Country Club.
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