Round 5 Notes – Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
D.J. Trahan fired a 7-under-65 on Sunday to claim top honors at the Bob
Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by George Lopez, storming back from a
four-shot deficit at the start of the day to top Justin Leonard by three
shots. He collects 4,500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 3 in the FedExCup
standings through three events, with 4,546 points. K.J. Choi maintains the
top spot with 4,681 points, followed by Daniel Chopra, with 4,633.
The victory is the second of Trahan’s career, with his first coming when he
defeated Joe Durant on the third playoff hole at the 2006 Southern Farm
Bureau Classic. Trahan flirted with victory at the 2007 Frys.com Open,
finishing runner-up by four strokes to George McNeill. He had missed the
cut in two previous starts at the BHCC (2006-07).
With his runner-up finish – the 16th of his career – Justin Leonard has now
finished inside the top 10 in five of his last six tournaments, dating back
to his win at the 2007 Valero Texas Open. During that six-tournament
stretch, he has collected one victory, matching T6 finishes in 2007 at the
Frys Electronics Open and the Children’s Miracle Network Classic, a T8
finish at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Championship and this week’s second-place
effort.
D.J. Trahan, at 27 years, 1 month and 2 days, joins David Duval (1999) as
the only players in their 20s to win the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic since
1988. The youngest winner of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic was Jack
Nicklaus in 1963 at the age 23 years and 13 days.
1995 champion Kenny Perry finished T3, marking his sixth top-10 effort at
the BHCC. Only seven players have posted more top-10 finishes since the
tournament’s inception in 1960, including Billy Casper’s tournament-leading
12 and Arnold Palmer’s 11. It is the 12th third-place finish of Perry’s
career, to go along with nine wins and eight runner-up finishes.
Scott McCarron finished T70 in his first PGA TOUR start since missing the
cut at the 2006 Booz Allen Classic. The three-time TOUR winner is back on
Tour after a long rehabilitation after undergoing elbow surgery in August
of 2006.
Three players recorded all five rounds in the 60s, including Anthony Kim,
Steve Elkington and Bill Haas. In BHCC history, 104 players have posted
five rounds in the 60s in a single event.
With Justin Leonard failing to carry the fourth-round lead on to victory,
the 72-hole leader has now won the BHCC just 21 times in 49 tries.
Charley Hoffman finished T8 in his attempt to become just the second player
in BHCC history to win in back-to-back seasons. Johnny Miller is the only
player to perform the feat, winning in 1975 and 1976. Hoffman’s finish was
the best by a defending champion since 2002 champion Phil Mickelson
finished T6 in 2003. In all, winners of the BHCC have posted 12 top-10
finishes in their title defense, but just five in the past 32 years.
D.J. Trahan led the tournament with 35 birdies, one more than third-place
finisher Kenny Perry.
Chez Reavie, who began the season with a then-career-best T32 at last
week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, equaled D.J. Trahan with the round of the day
(7-under 65). It helped move the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion
from T9 to T5. Reavie is a 26-year-old rookie on TOUR after finishing No.
18 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list.
The best rounds of the week at each course:
The Classic Club 63, Charley Hoffman (Rd. 4)
Palmer Private at PGA West 62, Boo Weekley (Rd. 3), Jim McGovern (Rd. 3)
La Quinta Country Club 63, Dustin Johnson (Rd. 4)
SilverRock Resort 64, D.J. Trahan (Rd. 2)
Both Chez Reavie (T5) and Brett Rumford (T8) posted top-10 finishes in
their first appearance at the BHCC. It also represents the first top-10
finish of each player’s career.
Fred Couples, who moved into second this week on the BHCC all-time cuts
made list with 22 (just two behind Peter Jacobsen), finished T56. It
represents just the ninth time in 23 starts that he has failed to record a
top-25 finish. His only missed cut at the annual five-day tournament came
in 1999.
Bart Bryant (T16) ended the tournament with a streak of 50 consecutive
bogey-free holes. The last mistake on his scorecard came during the third
round when he bogeyed his fourth hole (No. 13) at The Classic Club.
There were a total of 50 bogey-free rounds, including four on Sunday at The
Classic Club – Chez Reavie (65), Vaughn Taylor (66), Bart Bryant (68) and
Brian Davis (68). For the week, there were 16 such rounds at La Quinta
Country Club, 15 at The Classic Club, 10 at Palmer Private at PGA West and
nine at SilverRock Resort.
Daily and cumulative scoring averages for the week:
Course Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Rd. 4 Rd. 5
Cumulative
The Classic Club 69.969 70.969 70.375 68.871 70.513
70.379
Palmer Private 69.813 70.969 68.500 68.710 -----
69.504
La Quinta CC 69.688 70.531 69.438 69.906 -----
69.891
SilverRock Resort 70.125 71.405 70.500 70.094 -----
70.539
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