Round 2 Notes – Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
Second-Round Notes – Thursday, January 17, 2008D.J. Trahan, who fired an 8-under 64 at SilverRock Resort on Thursday, shares the lead with Robert Gamez. He has held two other 36-hole lead/co-leads during his career on the TOUR. He had a two-stroke lead over Brad Faxon and Joe Durant after 36 holes at the 2006 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He went on to win in Madison, MS in a three hole sudden-death playoff over Joe Durant. Last year he shared the 36-hole lead with George McNeill and Garrett Willis at the Frys.com, another event with amateurs/celebrities, and finished four behind McNeill after weekend rounds of 72-66.
John Daly fired a bogey-free 2-under 70 today at La Quinta Country Club. The last time Daly completed a round without a bogey on the PGA TOUR was during the second round of the 2005 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at Tamarisk Country Club. He fired a bogey-free 6-under 66.
Scott Verplank fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 at The Classic Club on Thursday to move into the top-5 on the leaderboard (T5). Last year he shared the 36-hole lead after two rounds with Justin Rose and went on to finish T8. Verplank is making his 17th start at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He has two top-5 finishes, including a runner-up finish in 2006. In 2006, Verplank shot 7-under 65 at the Classic Course in the third round and then fired a 1-over 73 in the final round to finish runner-up to winner Chad Campbell.
Robert Gamez, who is making his 18th appearance at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, moved into a share of the lead with D.J Trahan after posting a 7-under 65 at La Quinta Country Club. In 2007, he finished in the top 10 in his last two events of the season, with a T9 at the Ginn Sur Mer Classic and a T3 at the Childern’s Miracle Network Classic. He has just one top 10 in his 16 starts in Palm Desert.
The 2005 winner Justin Leonard fired an 8-under 64 at La Quinta Country Club on Thursday to move just one stroke back of the leaders, D.J. Trahan and Robert Gamez after 36 holes. It is the third time he has posted a 64 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic – 2002 at Bermuda Dunes and 2005 at PGA West. Leonard is making his 11th appearance this week in Palm Springs. In 10 starts he has three top-10 finishes, including a three-stroke victory in 2005.
While he isn’t playing this week, Arnold Palmer still has a big impact on the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. A five-time winner of the event, including his final PGA TOUR title in 1973, Arnie designed three of the four courses that will be used in this week’s rotation—the Classic Club, the Palmer Private Course at PGA West and the Palmer Course at SilverRock Resort.
Steve Elkington is alone in fourth only three strokes back of the leaders. The last time he won an event on the PGA TOUR came in 1999 at the Doral-Ryder Open. His best effort in Palm Desert is a T9 in 1993 in 11 starts.
Low round of the week at the four tournament courses on opening day:
The Classic Club 65, Petrovic, Durant, S. Maruyama, Goggin, Verplank
Palmer Private at PGA West 65, Omar Uresti
La Quinta Country Club 64, Justin Leonard, Ryan Moore
SilverRock Resort 64, D.J. Trahan
There were 11 bogey-free rounds on Wednesday, but only five on Thursday:
La Quinta CC – John Daly (70), Robert Gamez (65)
The Classic Club –Scott Verplank (65), Brian Gay (67)
SilverRock Resort – John Merrick (65)
Palmer Private at PGA West – None
All four courses are played approximately a stroke higher on Thursday compared to the opening round on Wednesday. The par-72 SilverRock Resort, making its inaugural appearance in the BHCC rotation, remains the toughest among the four courses on the week averaging 70.765 over two days.
Comparing the scoring averages are as follows:
Tournament Rd 1 Rd 2 Difference
The Classic Club 69.969 70.969 +1.00
Palmer Private at PGA West 69.813 70.969 +1.156
La Quinta Country Club 69.688 70.531 +.843
SilverRock Resort 70.125 71.405 +1.280
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