THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. — Charley Hoffman rammed in a 4-foot birdie putt to beat John Rollins on the first hole of a playoff in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on Sunday, wrapping up a wind-swept round that took its toll on most of the players.
Winning his first PGA Tour title, the 30-year-old Hoffman birdied No. 17, eagled the 18th in regulation, then birdied the 18th in the playoff.
He closed with a 1-under 71 on The Classic Club course to match Rollins (73) at 17-under 343 in the five-day tournament.
Rollins’ shot into a fairway bunker on the extra hole cost him.
Hoffman, in the next-to-last group, put the pressure on the final threesome when he hit his second shot within 11 feet of the pin on the par-5, 564-yard 18th, then rolled in the putt for an eagle.
With Hoffman waiting and watching, Rollins, in the last threesome with Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, missed a long try for eagle but made the short birdie putt to force the playoff.
Rose, meanwhile, hit into a bunker off the tee on 18, then ran a long birdie try past the cup before sinking the par putt that left him at 16 under and a shot behind.
Rose, tied with Glover at the top heading into the final 18 holes, was shaky on the greens and finished with a 76 over the Classic Club layout.
Jeff Quinney, whose ace on the 176-yard 17th put him at 15 under, finished with a 73 to tie for fourth with Heath Slocum (72). Glover had an 80 that dropped him into a tie for 13th.
Although the wind calmed a bit in the day, it gusted up to 40 mph, would quiet for several seconds, then just as suddenly kick up again, making club selection a guessing game and merely standing over putts a challenge.
Players’ pant legs whipped back and forth and they tried to steady themselves, and sometimes the gusts even rocked the ball on the green.
The wind churned the small lakes around the course, and stirred up grit from the adjacent desert, sending it flying over much of the course.
Phil Mickelson, making his first start of the year, was among those who struggled mightily. The 2002 and 2004 Hope champion shot a 78 that included a stretch where he went double-bogey, bogey, bogey, double-bogey, including hitting shots into the water on Nos. 8-10.
On the ninth green, Mickelson’s cap blew off, sailed off the green and rapidly tumbled end over end for some 20 yards down a bank, finally chased down by a photographer.
Weather for the tournament in the desert resort area usually is sunny and mild, but this year’s Hope was weather-plagued most of the time. The start was delayed by a half-hour to an hour two days because of frost on the courses, and Friday’s round was cold and wind-blown, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.
The relatively easy desert courses usually yield extremely low scores, but the conditions changed that. The Hope record total is 324 by Joe Durant in 2001. Chad Campbell took the title last year at 335, then missed the cut this time. David Duval won in 1999 by finishing with a tour record-tying 59 that left him at 334.
Divots: The 17-under winning total was least under par for the Hope since Steve Jones also won at 17 under in 1989. Tony Jacob’s 7 under in 1964 is the highest winning mark for the tournament. ... The first four days feature a pro-am, with a lot of celebrities and athletes from other sports. Rose played his third round with Sterling Sharpe, Marcus Allen and Jerome Bettis, then Roger Clemens was among his amateur partners for the fourth. Rose said that, because he grew up in England, he wasn’t entirely familiar with the NFL and major league baseball, adding, ‘‘But it’s amazing how big those sports are out here. It becomes apparent when you play with them and you see the admiration they get from the fans.’’
Winning his first PGA Tour title, the 30-year-old Hoffman birdied No. 17, eagled the 18th in regulation, then birdied the 18th in the playoff.
He closed with a 1-under 71 on The Classic Club course to match Rollins (73) at 17-under 343 in the five-day tournament.
Rollins’ shot into a fairway bunker on the extra hole cost him.
Hoffman, in the next-to-last group, put the pressure on the final threesome when he hit his second shot within 11 feet of the pin on the par-5, 564-yard 18th, then rolled in the putt for an eagle.
With Hoffman waiting and watching, Rollins, in the last threesome with Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, missed a long try for eagle but made the short birdie putt to force the playoff.
Rose, meanwhile, hit into a bunker off the tee on 18, then ran a long birdie try past the cup before sinking the par putt that left him at 16 under and a shot behind.
Rose, tied with Glover at the top heading into the final 18 holes, was shaky on the greens and finished with a 76 over the Classic Club layout.
Jeff Quinney, whose ace on the 176-yard 17th put him at 15 under, finished with a 73 to tie for fourth with Heath Slocum (72). Glover had an 80 that dropped him into a tie for 13th.
Although the wind calmed a bit in the day, it gusted up to 40 mph, would quiet for several seconds, then just as suddenly kick up again, making club selection a guessing game and merely standing over putts a challenge.
Players’ pant legs whipped back and forth and they tried to steady themselves, and sometimes the gusts even rocked the ball on the green.
The wind churned the small lakes around the course, and stirred up grit from the adjacent desert, sending it flying over much of the course.
Phil Mickelson, making his first start of the year, was among those who struggled mightily. The 2002 and 2004 Hope champion shot a 78 that included a stretch where he went double-bogey, bogey, bogey, double-bogey, including hitting shots into the water on Nos. 8-10.
On the ninth green, Mickelson’s cap blew off, sailed off the green and rapidly tumbled end over end for some 20 yards down a bank, finally chased down by a photographer.
Weather for the tournament in the desert resort area usually is sunny and mild, but this year’s Hope was weather-plagued most of the time. The start was delayed by a half-hour to an hour two days because of frost on the courses, and Friday’s round was cold and wind-blown, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.
The relatively easy desert courses usually yield extremely low scores, but the conditions changed that. The Hope record total is 324 by Joe Durant in 2001. Chad Campbell took the title last year at 335, then missed the cut this time. David Duval won in 1999 by finishing with a tour record-tying 59 that left him at 334.
Divots: The 17-under winning total was least under par for the Hope since Steve Jones also won at 17 under in 1989. Tony Jacob’s 7 under in 1964 is the highest winning mark for the tournament. ... The first four days feature a pro-am, with a lot of celebrities and athletes from other sports. Rose played his third round with Sterling Sharpe, Marcus Allen and Jerome Bettis, then Roger Clemens was among his amateur partners for the fourth. Rose said that, because he grew up in England, he wasn’t entirely familiar with the NFL and major league baseball, adding, ‘‘But it’s amazing how big those sports are out here. It becomes apparent when you play with them and you see the admiration they get from the fans.’’
