Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Preview

Article by Matt Fargo

A rather light field tees it up this week at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic but a couple notables will be making the trip. Last year’s champion Justin Leonard will look for back-to-back titles while 2004 champion Phil Mickelson will tee it up for the first time in 2006. The field consists of only three top 20 players, Mickelson, Chris DiMarco and Davis Love III, and features just 34 of the top 100 players.

Leonard came back from three shots down in the final round to capture the 2005 Bob Hope and after taking last weekend off, he looks to stay hot. He finished 8th at the Mercedes Championships two weeks ago and he is coming off four top tens from a season ago, his best season since 1997. He was winless in 2004, snapping a streak of four straight years with a win but finished first in two tournaments last season.

Leonard won the Bob Hope thanks to being first in driving accuracy and he leads the 2006 tour in that category already this season. He has the fifth best scoring average in this event over the last 10 years but the best among players with at least seven starts. What’s not on his side however is the fact that the last person to win this tournament in back-to-back seasons was Johnny Miller 30 yards ago in 1975-76.

While Chad Campbell and Rory Sabbatini have some momentum carrying over from their second place finishes at the Sony Open last week, the biggest momentum surge could be that of David Duval’s. He shot a 63 on Sunday, his lowest round since 2003, which was a span of 37 events. He was +30 after four rounds and the Bob Hope last year, missing the final day cut, but he won the event in 1999 thanks to his final round 59.

At last week’s Sony Open, only two players managed to post four rounds in the 60′s, winner David Toms and Jerry Kelly. Toms is not playing the Bob Hope but Kelly is and he has had a lot of success here. He has earned the 4th most amount of prize money over the last five years for non-winners. Included in that are two top 10′s and his five best finishes here have occurred over the last 5 years.

Mickelson is a two time winner here and he has the best scoring average of any player over the last five years while being the only player with a sub-67 scoring average who has started more than once. After winning the PGA Championship last year, he did not finish the season strong, placing 28th or worse in his final four events. He has never finished lower than 16th at the Hope and has eight rounds of 65 or less the last five years.

Mike Weir, the 2003 champion, missed the cut at the Sony Open last week and has not fared well here since his win. He missed the cut last year and finished 41st in 2004. In five starts at the Hope, he has only one finish better than 32nd. Following a 5th place finish as last year’s Masters, he did not have a top ten finish in his final 13 events and finished 80th or lower in eight of those tournaments.

Other players to keep an eye on are Joe Durant, the 2001 champion and Jesper Parnevik, the 2000 champion. Durant finished 53rd at the Sony Open but had his two best rounds on Saturday and Sunday. His -36 in 2001 is the lowest total ever in tournament history. Parnevik finished 42nd last week and had two top 10′s in his final six events of 2005. After missing the cut in 2002 and 2003, he finished 5th in 2004 and 41st last year.

About the Author

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.Read all of his articles at href=”http://www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm”>www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm