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by Jeff Skinner

By any measure the newly reconfigured Human Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation has to be considered a success.  President Clinton’s presence and influence have set the former Bob Hope Classic on a successful path to recovery.

Mark Wilson may have carted home the hardware and the million dollar check but the star of the show was President Clinton.  Much like it had been during its heyday as The Hope the star was never the players.  It was always the host.  For decades Bob Hope was the face of the tournament and the reason this tournament had such panache.  Now, with Hope gone Clinton has stepped in to rescue this event.

There were many doubters, including me, when the tour announced the relationship with Clinton and his foundation.  It certainly looked like a case of strange bedfellows as the two term democrat would be smack in the middle of a travelling Republican Convention.  During Clinton’s campaigning days it is fair to say that the PGA Tour membership wasn’t giving him much support.  But that was then and this is now and Clinton still has that charisma that put him in office and more importantly he still has a passion for his projects.

It showed all week at The Humana as Clinton spent more time on the course than anyone.  He once again was a rock star. The players, the fans and The Golf Channel all wanted a piece of Clinton and he was more than accommodating.  During his weather shortened round on Saturday he made Phil Mickelson look like a wallflower as he signed autographs, posed for pictures and talked up the crowd like he still needed their vote.

Clinton worked his magic long before the first ball was struck as he used his connections to pump up the field with Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson. “They were the only two I personally recruited, but we have a lot of other good players playing here,” Clinton said “We’ll have to see. We won’t know probably until the year or the year after whether it works for the golfers.”   And while neither figured in the outcome it is a sign that there still is hope at The Humana.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and The Humana Challenge can’t be considered rescued after one successful week but this is a very healthy start.  Humana, Clinton and the PGA Tour signed an eight year deal to rebuild this tournament and few could have envisioned such a successful beginning.

by Jeff Skinner

During a very long day at The Humana Challenge Mark Wilson showed that you can’t give up hope.  At a tournament that previously was simply known as “The Hope” Wilson had faith in his game and hoped he could hold onto his lead as his competitors were bearing down on him while his game went silent.  His faith was rewarded as he birdied the eighteenth hole in near darkness to finish two strokes clear of a trio of golfers and claim The Humana Challenge and hoist the Bob Hope Memorial Trophy.

After playing the front nine in one over par Wilson found his game over the back nine where he carded four birdies. “It was a challenge,” Wilson said, “But I guess my experience helped me in this situation knowing that, Hey, there’s a lot of golf left, maybe I want it make my birdies at the end of the round, and thankfully that’s what I did this time.”

Wilson is a familiar face this time of year on the PGA Tour.  He won twice early last season at The Sony and The Waste Management Open.  It’s pretty amazing considering the native from Wisconsin spends his winters at his home in Illinois.  Wilson is a lot like Steve Stricker who also prefers snowshoes to Footjoys over the winter.  Two golfers that live in the frozen north have collected two of the first three tournaments of the year.  I guess you don’t have to live in a warm weather climate to get it done on the PGA Tour.

by Jeff Skinner

Darren Clarke has always played by his own set of rules.  Since he turned professional in 1990 he fostered the reputation of a man that enjoys life.  From his maiden victory at The 1993 Alfred Dunhill Open to his astounding win at The Open Championship Clarke hasn’t found a pub he didn’t like.  Fast cars, good cigars, plenty of laughs and immeasurable pints were part of his daily routine.  Now, just as he did at The Open last year Darren Clarke has shocked the world.  He’s stopped drinking.

In an effort to take advantage of all the opportunities that his Open victory has afforded him he has hired a personal trainer and rededicated himself to a new fitness routine.  From Clarke’s website, “The 2nd January 2012 has also seen the appointment of Jonny Bloomfield as my new fitness trainer. I’ve been pontificating about my fitness for a while and Jonny, who is based in Belfast, was recommended to me by Lee’s trainer, Steve MacGregor. My golf career has been extended somewhat by winning the Open Championship and I just thought that enough is enough and it was time to get myself into better shape. Jonny’s a sports scientist and he’s got me doing all sorts in the gym, having my eyes checked out, nutrition etc. Therefore my alcohol consumption is taking a massive dint…..currently down to zero! However, no pain, no gain and I’m very excited about the route that we’re going down  – it’s a long road but I will give it my best shot.”

We certainly can understand his logic, a healthier lifestyle may help him compete with all the young studs that have laid claim to so many titles recently and prolong his career.  But this is Darren Clarke.  This is the man that starts his celebrations the second he signs his scorecard and doesn’t stop until his next tee time.  This is the guy that showed up to a press conference the day after his Open win with zero sleep and half a load on.

It is strange to hear Clarke talk about getting in better shape.  It was only a short time ago when he was slumping and his good friend and agent Chubby Chandler told him to forget about fitness and that he played better fat.  Chandler was proven right when he claimed the Claret Jug.

If Clarke keeps to his new regimen and begs off the pints I can see the stock price of Guinness bottoming out.  Darren Clarke not drinking?  What’s next, Tiger signing autographs?

by Jeff Skinner

President Clinton has certainly taken a leading position in the rebuilding of the Humana Challenge.  He’s recruited Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson to play and used his connections to attract dozens of America’s most powerful people to participate in the many forums leading up to the tournament.  But when the tournament tees off he’ll be sitting out as he leaves the golf to the many celebrities and amateurs that will walk alongside the pros.  Maybe Clinton will decide to tee it up next year with some of these well known celebs.  Here’s a list of the brave celebrities that will show their stuff at the Humana Challenge this week.

Amateur      Professional

Craig T. Nelson/Kyle Stanley     “Coach” plays in any Pro-Am he can and he plays well.  He’s a 5 handicap.  It seems like he has been around forever, he’s in everything.

Alice Cooper/Trevor Immelman      Cooper, the originator of “shock rock” and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member plays to a 6 and plays just about every day, without any snakes.

Michael Bolton/Tim Herron        The folks at The Humana saw fit to pair Bolton with fellow ladies man Herron.  The question is who’s the wingman, Bolton or Lumpy?

Lucas Black/Blake Adams               Black has credits from “Fast and Furious” to “Jarhead.”  We last saw him in “Seven Days in Utopia.”  He played a golfer looking for redemption.  Maybe he’ll find some in the desert.

Morgan Freeman/Kyle Thompson        Freeman was just honored at The Golden Globes for his illustrious career in film.  The 18 handicapper will do his best to act like a pro this week.  How can you not cheer for “Red” from “Shawshank Redemption.”

Julius Irving/Jerry Kelly             Long before LeBron, Kobe and Jordan there was “Dr. J” leaping from the foul line to dunk over anyone and everyone.  He was the man then and he’s the man now.

Billy Crudup/Erik Compton        Crudup has won a Tony Award and has been in “The Watchman” and “Almost Famous.”  He plays to a 3 and gets to play with the most inspiring player on tour.

Smokey Robinson/Seung-Yul Noh       Robinson is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member and often called the “King of Motown.”  The 15 handicapper and former leader of “The Miracles” may need one to get through this week.

If the folks at The Humana Challenge gave me my choice I’d have to play with Dr.J.  The sight of him flying through the air, red, white and blue ball in his hand, is still as fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday.  Plus, he’s a 15 and I’m a 14.  I may just have a chance of beating one of the all time great athletes.   Sure, like I would ever have a chance.

Check out highlights of Dr.J from back in the day.

by Jeff Skinner

As much as Bob Hope did for the game of golf, and he is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, his legacy is much more than that. Yes, he loved golf and he made a career out of hacking it around.  But his true legacy lies in the faces of the thousands of servicemen that he spent countless hours with during his career.

For over fifty years he took his travelling Christmas Show all over the world so those soldiers and sailors far from home would have a little piece of Christmas.

In 1997 Congress and President Clinton named Hope an “Honorary Veteran.”  It was the first time anyone had ever been given that honor.  True to his humility, Hope said, “I’ve been given many awards in my lifetime, but to be numbered among the men and women I admired most…is the greatest honor I have ever received.”

by Jeff Skinner

It’s that time again, that time when the PGA Tour moves to the mainland and all of those fans whose clubs have been replaced with snow shovels check the calendar to see when it will be our turn to tee it up.

The Southern Californian desert plays host the newly configured Humana Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation.  That’s a heck of a mouthful for a tournament that used to be called simply “The Hope.”  With the trouble that The Bob Hope Classic was having for the last decade the PGA Tour took very drastic measures to reformulate The Hope to make it more appealing to the fans, to get more name players to play and of course, to be profitable.   If a tournament can’t attract a deep pocketed sponsor it is not going to be around any longer.

Bob Hope had his name on this event since 1965 and for decades this was a fun, interesting and most of all, significant event.  When the PGA Tour tapped President Clinton to pump up the tournament I had my doubts.  Politics aside, I’ve never been a fan of Clinton due to his personal flaws and the fact that he’s well known for his ten foot gimmies and conveniently forgetting a stroke or two while playing golf.  He wouldn’t have been my choice to lead The Hope.

But Clinton has had a very positive impact on The Humana.  As Tim Finchem had hoped, Clinton reached out and used the power of the Presidency; even an ex-pres still has plenty of juice.  He got his buddy Greg Norman to play and he also was able to persuade Phil Mickelson to show up.  This tournament now has an emphasis on healthy living and that’s a cause that Phil supports himself. So Phil comes back to the desert for the first time since 2007.  Jhonattan Vegas will defend and even local boy Anthony Kim has returned as have many others who have skipped this stop recently.

Adding a Norman and a Mickelson doesn’t mean that The Humana is now the hottest thing since Augusta, but it’s a start.  Mickelson is the games second biggest draw and his presence will put fans on the ropes but there is more work to be done.  Clinton knows it and so does Finchem but they certainly have the tournament headed in the right direction.

However, I think the tour could have still found a way to honor Bob Hope.  Yes, there will be touches of the Hope legacy around the grounds of the tournament but in a tournament name that needs eight words in it couldn’t they have included “Hope” in there somewhere.  How about: “the Humana Hope Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation.”  That would have done it for me and many of the fans that had come to know that this time of year always started with “The Hope.”

Click here for Norman’s take on President Clinton.

by Jeff Skinner

The Sony Open was more than the first full field event of the PGA Tour season.  For many players it was “the first day of the rest of their lives.”  Mixed in with all the veteran faces that graced Waialae Country Club were some new ones making their debut as full fledged tour members.

Billy Hurley III is one of the new tour members that made his way onto the tour via the Nationwide Tour Money List.  He was the 25^th and final qualifier from The Nationwide Tour but his route to the PGA Tour took him to places few golfers frequent.  Hurley joins the tour after a five year stint in the U.S. Navy where he spent time on active duty in places where golf was a distant afterthought.  He sailed through the troubled waters of the Middle East and the South China Sea but while actually playing golf was a world away it never was out of his thoughts.

Hurley played college golf at the Naval Academy and as a freshman was an average player.  But as he matured so did his golf game and as a senior he won six of his thirteen tournaments and made it to match play in the 2003 U.S. Amateur.  After graduation through the good graces of the Navy he was able to play on the victorious 2005 Walker Cup Team with Anthony Kim, Jeff Overton, J.B. Holmes and Matt Every.  But after that he had to serve his five year commitment in the Navy.  There was some thought of getting a reduction in his service time as NBA great David Robinson had received but with the U.S. fighting two wars there was little chance of that happening.  So Hurley served, and served with distinction aboard the U.S.S. Chong-Hoon, a guided missile destroyer and he was honored as Ship Handler of the Year for his skillful driving of the warship.

When his tour was up in 2009 he hoped to return to the game and was praying his game returned to him.  He scraped the barnacles off his game and banged around the mini-tours and failed at Q-School.  But the following year his Q-School finish got him privileges on The Nationwide Tour and he had his chance at earning a living playing golf.  In 2011 he finished in the money 13 times and had four top tens.  That was enough to earn his card to the big show and his first appearance this year was fittingly held on Oahu where he spent some time and his old ship is now stationed.

Hurley’s maiden voyage as a PGA Tour member wasn’t spectacular but certainly acceptable.  He MDF’d, no that is not an obscenity that would upset the very religious Hurley, it’s when a player makes the 36 hole cut but doesn’t play the weekend because of the 70 player limit.  The good news is he still cashes a check and with two boys and a wife he’ll need to keep cashing them.

The discipline Hurley learned in the military should serve him well on tour as he’ll be tested throughout this season.  But after steering a 10,000 ton destroyer and living in harm’s way, the PGA Tour is easy duty.

Click here for Hurley’s return visit to the U.S.S. Chung-Hoon.