New Sponsor But No Title Sponsor For Bob Hope Classic
LA QUINTA -The 51st Bob Hope Classic comes to the desert Jan. 18.
The tournament, featuring nearly 130 pros and about 30 celebrities, will be played on four desert courses, with the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West serving as the host site.
Pat Perez will be returning to defend his Bob Hope Classic title, as will past champ David Duval. Murrieta’s Ricky Fowler, 21, will be among the other pros, including Palmer’s 22-year-old grandson, Sam Saunders.
Among the celebrities slated to play are actors Kurt Russell, Dennis Quaid and John O’Hurley; musicians Kenny G. and Alice Cooper; Tampa Bay third-baseman Evan Longoria, former baseball and football star Bo Jackson and singers Michael Bolton and Clay Walker.
Though the tournament has no title sponsor this year — the first time since 1984 — it announced a deal today with Franklin American Mortgage as a platinum-level sponsor.
Tournament president John Foster said Franklin American’s sponsorship will help “the Classic meet its goals for our charitable commitment.”
Privately held Franklin American Mortgage Co. is a mortgage bank based in Franklin, Tenn.
The five-day tournament, which has a $5 million purse, will be broadcast on the Golf Channel.
Celebrity play will begin on Jan. 20 at the SilverRock Resort and then move to the La Quinta Country Club on Jan. 21, the Nicklaus Private Course on Jan. 22 and the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West on Jan. 23. The final round will be held at the Palmer Private Course on Jan. 24.
Over the past 50 years, the tournament’s organizers have donated more than $47 million to charities throughout the Coachella Valley.
