CareerBuilder Challenge Winners and History

Update: The tournament now is known as The American Express. More at the link.

Known for years as the Bob Hope and then the Humana Challenge, the Careerbuilder Challenge launched January 2016.

Whereas the Bob Hope Classic was unique on the PGA Tour for being played on four different courses over five days, the Careerbuilder will use the traditional four-day PGA Format. It remains, however, one of two of the Tour’s televised celebrity pro-am events (the other being the AT&T National).

The tournament format:

• A four-day tournament, beginning Thursday of tournament week, with the first three rounds played in a pro-am format.
• For each day of the three-round, pro-am competition, the professional has a different amateur partner. Amateurs will compete in daily competitions as well as an overall, three-day competition.
• Round 4 is professionals only with a normal 70 + ties cut.
• The top three low net and low gross amateurs will play alongside the pros on Sunday to determine the overall winners .
• The overall low net amateur and low gross amateur playing on Sunday will be awarded crystal as the 2015 Careerbuilder Challenge Amateur Champion after play on Sunday.
• The field size for the event is 156 professionals and 156 amateurs.

The tournament plays out over three courses: La Quinta Country Club, a tournament course since 1965, PGA WEST Nicklaus Private and PGA WEST Palmer Private. PGA WEST has been in the rotation since 1986. Silverrock Resort Course has been dropped.From 1960 to 1962, the tournament was played at Thunderbird Country Club and Tamarisk Country Club, both in Rancho Mirage, California; Bermuda Dunes Country Club in Bermuda Dunes, California; and Indian Wells Country Club in Indian Wells, California. Bermuda Dunes has been used every year of the event and Indian Wells every year until 2006.

In 1963, Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California, replaced Thunderbird Country Club. La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California replaced Tamarisk Country Club from 1964 until 1968, but rejoined the event from 1969 to 1986, alternating with Eldorado Country Club.

Bob Hope added his name to the tournament in 1965 and became the Classic’s Chairman of the Board.

Starting in 1987, the classic courses began to be phased out of the vent. The PGA West in La Quinta got a permanent spot in the rota in 1997. Eldorado Country Club was dropped in 1990. In 2005, a local foundation gave the Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif. to the tournament. It replaced Indian Wells the following year. The Hope now is the only event on the Tour that owns its own facility. Strangely, it was dropped from the rota in 2008 (over player concerns about high winds). The tournament now owns a course that isn’t used for the tournament. Strange.

The 2011 rota consisted of the PGA West (Palmer and Nicklaus Courses), La Quinta CC and Silver Rock Resort, all in La Quinta, California. Bermuda Dunes is not being used this year.

The tradition of choosing the tournament’s “Classic Girls” from among the area’s collegians began in those early years, with the earliest tournaments having a celebrity dubbed “Classic Queen.” The earliest titleholders included Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell and Jill St. John. The queens of the 1970s included Barbara Eden and Lynda Carter.

The Classic’s biggest draw was—and continues to be—the celebrity Pro-Am competition which has attracted some of each era’s biggest celebrities. Of note was Dwight Eisenhower, who became the first president to play in a Tour event. History was made at the tournament in 1995 when the pro-am team of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, and defending champion Scott Hoch teed up for the tournament’s opening round. The event marked the first time a sitting president – Clinton – had played during a PGA Tour event and perhaps the first time three presidents had ever played together.

Bill Clinton has hosted since 2012.

The first tournament was won by Arnold Palmer with a final score of 338, or 22 under par. Palmer would win the event five times:  1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1973.

More Hope Classic history: David Duval shot a 59 in the final round of the event in 1999. For a recount of the round, visit here.

A complete list of Careerbuilder Challenge Winners follows:

Year	Player	Country	Score	To par	1st Prize ($)	Purse ($)
2018	John Rahm	Spain	266	-22 (PO)	1,044,000	5,800,000
2017	Hudson Swafford	United States	268	-20	1,044,000	5,800,000
2016	Jason Dufner	United States	263	-25	1,044,000	5,800,000
The Humana Challenge
2015	Bill Haas	United States	266	-22	1,026,000	5,700,000
2014	Patrick Reed	United States	260	-28	1,026,000	5,700,000
2013	Brian Gay	United States	263	-25	1,008,000	5,600,000
2012	Mark Wilson	United States	264	-24	1,008,000	5,600,000
2011	Jhonattan Vegas	Venezuela	333	-27	900,000	5,000,000
Bob Hope Classic
2010	Bill Haas	United States	330	-30	900,000	5,000,000
2009	Pat Perez	United States	327	-33	918,000	5,100,000
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
2008	D. J. Trahan	United States	334	-26	918,000	5,100,000
2007	Charley Hoffman	United States	343	-17	900,000	5,000,000
2006	Chad Campbell	United States	335	-25	900,000	5,000,000
2005	Justin Leonard	United States	332	-28	846,000	4,700,000
2004	Phil Mickelson	United States	330	-30	810,000	4,500,000
2003	Mike Weir	Canada	330	-30	810,000	4,500,000
2002	Phil Mickelson	United States	330	-30	720,000	4,000,000
2001	Joe Durant	United States	324	-36	630,000	3,500,000
2000	Jesper Parnevik	Sweden	331	-27	540,000	3,000,000
1999	David Duval	United States	334	-26	540,000	3,000,000
1998	Fred Couples	United States	332	-28	414,000	2,300,000
1997	John Cook	United States	327	-33	270,000	1,500,000
1996	Mark Brooks	United States	337	-23	234,000	1,300,000
1995	Kenny Perry	United States	335	-25	216,000	1,200,000
1994	Scott Hoch	United States	334	-26	198,000	1,100,000
1993	Tom Kite	United States	325	-35	198,000	1,100,000
1992	John Cook	United States	336	-24	198,000	1,100,000
1991	Corey Pavin	United States	331	-29	198,000	1,100,000
1990	Peter Jacobsen	United States	339	-21	180,000	1,000,000
1989	Steve Jones	United States	343	-17	180,000	1,000,000
1988	Jay Haas	United States	338	-22	180,000	1,000,000
1987	Corey Pavin	United States	341	-19	162,000	900,000
1986	Donnie Hammond	United States	335	-25	108,000	650,000
Bob Hope Classic
1985	Lanny Wadkins	United States	333	-27	90,000	555,000
1984	John Mahaffey	United States	340	-20	72,000	433,000
Bob Hope Desert Classic
1983	Keith Fergus	United States	335	-25	67,500	408,000
1982	Ed Fiori	United States	335	-25	50,000	304,500
1981	Bruce Lietzke	United States	335	-25	50,000	304,500
1980	Craig Stadler	United States	343	-17	50,000	304,500
1979	John Mahaffey	United States	343	-17	50,000	300,000
1978	Bill Rogers	United States	339	-21	45,000	225,000
1977	Rik Massengale	United States	337	-23	40,000	200,000
1976	Johnny Miller	United States	344	-16	36,000	180,000
1975	Johnny Miller	United States	339	-21	32,000	160,000
1974	Hubert Green	United States	341	-19	32,048	160,000
1973	Arnold Palmer	United States	343	-17	32,000	160,000
1972	Bob Rosburg	United States	344	-16	29,000	145,000
1971	Arnold Palmer	United States	342	-18	28,000	140,000
1970	Bruce Devlin	Australia	339	-21	25,000	125,000
1969	Billy Casper	United States	345	-15	20,000	100,000
1968	Arnold Palmer	United States	348	-12	20,000	100,000
1967	Tom Nieporte	United States	349	-11	17,600	88,000
1966	Doug Sanders	United States	349	-11	15,000	80,000
1965	Billy Casper	United States	348	-12	15,000	80,000
Palm Springs Golf Classic
1964	Tommy Jacobs	United States	353	-7	7,500	50,000
1963	Jack Nicklaus	United States	345	-13	9,000	50,000
1962	Arnold Palmer	United States	342	-17	5,300	35,000
1961	Billy Maxwell	United States	345	-14	5,300	52,000
Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic
1960	Arnold Palmer	United States	338	-20	12,000	70,000