2015 Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation - Tournament Notes

Dates: January 19-25, 2015
Where: La Quinta, Calif.
Courses:
Arnold Palmer Private/PGA WEST; La Quinta, CA Par/Yards: 72/6,950
Nicklaus Private/PGA WEST; La Quinta, CA Par/Yards: 72/6,924
La Quinta Country Club; La Quinta, CA Par/Yards: 72/7,060
Field: 156
2014 champion: Patrick Reed
Purse: $5,700,000 ($1,026,000/winner)
FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play (Rds. 1-3 are pro-am format)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HumanaChallenge
Twitter: @HumanaChallenge

How the Humana Challenge was won in 2014

  • Despite a fairly routine, 1-under 71 final round, Patrick Reed’s seven-stroke lead beginning the day held up by two strokes over Ryan Palmer.
  • The 2014 Humana Challenge win was Reed’s second career PGA TOUR.
  • Reed led the field with 30 birdies. The TOUR record for most birdies over 72 holes is 34 by Steve Stricker at the 2009 Humana Challenge.
  • Reed became just the second wire-to-wire winner of the Humana Challenge (Rik Massengale/1977).
  • Reed became the first player in PGA TOUR history to post scores of 63-or-better in his first three rounds of a tournament.
  • At 23 years, 5 months and 14 days, Reed became the second youngest winner of the Humana Challenge behind Jack Nicklaus (23 years and 13 days at the 1963 Humana Challenge).

    Reed Joins Woods, McIlroy and Garcia

  • After his Humana Challenge victory, Reed captured the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship less than two months later.
  • Two weeks ago, Reed defeated Jimmy Walker in a playoff to win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. With that victory, he become just the fourth player in the past 20 years to reach four wins before age 25, joining Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia.

    20-year anniversary of three U.S. Presidents playing in the Humana Challenge

  • It was in 1995 when the pro-am team of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Bob Hope and defending champion Scott Hoch teed up for the tournament’s opening round. It marked the first time a sitting president – Clinton – had played during a PGA TOUR event and it is believed to be the first time three presidents had ever played together.
  • Several of the players in the field this year also played in 1995, including Mark Brooks, Justin Leonard, Scott McCarron, Donnie Hammond and Woody Austin.
  • The tournament continues to honor and celebrate the legacy of Bob Hope by awarding the Bob Hope Memorial Trophy to its winner.
  • A look at the field
    • Fourteen of the top 45 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including Matt Kuchar (11), Billy Horschel (13), Phil Mickelson (14), Zach Johnson (19), Chris Kirk (20), Patrick Reed (23), Kevin Na (25), Keegan Bradley (29), Ryan Moore (30), Luke Donald (33), Jason Dufner (36), Bill Haas (40), Ryan Palmer (41) and Webb Simpson (44). • Eleven of the 30 players who made it to the 2014 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola will play in the Humana Challenge: Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Palmer, Bill Haas, Zach Johnson, Cameron Tringale, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Kevin Na and Brendon Todd.
    • Three of the last four FedExCup champions: Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012) and Billy Horschel (2014).
    • Former World No.1-ranked player Luke Donald will make his first career start in the Humana Challenge.
    • Phil Mickelson, a World Golf Hall of Fame member and owner of three green jackets, five major championship victories and 42 PGA TOUR wins, will make his 12th career start at the Humana Challenge. Mickelson won in La Quinta in 2002 and 2004.
    • Jason Dufner will be making his sixth career start at the Humana Challenge and first since a T12 in 2012.
    • Rookie Sam Saunders will be looking to make his first cut in his fourth start in the Humana Challenge and first as a TOUR member. Saunders’ grandfather Arnold Palmer is a five-time winner of the event.
    • Fourteen past champions of the Humana Challenge are in the field: Donnie Hammond (1986), Mark Brooks (1996), Phil Mickelson (2002 and 2004), Mike Weir (2003), Justin Leonard (2005), Chad Campbell (2006), Charley Hoffman (2007), D.J. Trahan (2008), Pat Perez (2009), Bill Haas (2010), Jhonattan Vegas (2011), Mark Wilson (2012), Brian Gay (2013) and Patrick Reed (2014).

      Tournament Records

    • Johnny Miller is the only back-to-back winner of the Humana Challenge (1975-76).
    • Arnold Palmer won the Humana Challenge five times. The only other players to win more than once are two-time champions: Billy Casper, John Mahaffey, Johnny Miller, Corey Pavin, John Cook, Phil Mickelson.

      Charity

    • Since 1960, Desert Classic Charities, the non-profit entity that organizes the Humana Challenge, has donated more than $52.5 million to Eisenhower Medical Center and numerous other non-profit organizations in the Coachella Valley.

      Source: PGA TOUR

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