The Desert Classic Winners and History

The Desert Classic Winners and History

Update: The Desert Classic now is The American Express

The Desert Classic Presented by Workday is the latest incarnation of the long running Palm Springs Desert Classic which began in 1960. Over the years, it has been known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic, The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (probably its two best-known incarnations), the Humana Challenge and the Careerbuilder Challenge.

Whereas the Bob Hope Classic was unique on the PGA Tour for being played on four different courses over five days, the tournament now uses the regular TOUR 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 hosted from 2012 to 2017.

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 Careerbuider Challenge Winners follows:

Year	Player	Score	To par	Margin
CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation
2018	Jon Rahm	266	−22	Playoff
2017	Hudson Swafford	268	−20	1 stroke
2016	Jason Dufner	263	−25	Playoff
Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation
2015	Bill Haas (2)	266	−22	1 stroke
2014	Patrick Reed	260	−28	2 stroke
2013	Brian Gay	263	−25	Playoff
2012	Mark Wilson	264	−24	2 strokes
Bob Hope Classic
2011	Jhonattan Vegas	333	−27	Playoff
2010	Bill Haas	330	−30	1 stroke
2009	Pat Perez	327	−33	3 strokes
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
2008	D. J. Trahan	334	−26	3 strokes
2007	Charley Hoffman	343	−17	Playoff
2006	Chad Campbell	335	−25	3 strokes
2005	Justin Leonard	332	−28	3 strokes
2004	Phil Mickelson (2)	330	−30	Playoff
2003	Mike Weir	330	−30	2 strokes
2002	Phil Mickelson	330	−30	Playoff
2001	Joe Durant	324	−36	4 strokes
2000	Jesper Parnevik	331	−27	1 stroke
1999	David Duval	334	−26	1 stroke
1998	Fred Couples	332	−28	Playoff
1997	John Cook (2)	327	−33	1 stroke
1996	Mark Brooks	337	−23	1 stroke
1995	Kenny Perry	335	−25	1 stroke
1994	Scott Hoch	334	−26	3 strokes
1993	Tom Kite	325	−35	6 strokes
1992	John Cook	336	−24	Playoff
1991	Corey Pavin (2)	331	−29	Playoff
1990	Peter Jacobsen	339	−21	1 stroke
1989	Steve Jones	343	−17	Playoff
1988	Jay Haas	338	−22	2 strokes
1987	Corey Pavin	341	−19	1 stroke
1986	Donnie Hammond	335	−25	Playoff
Bob Hope Classic
1985	Lanny Wadkins	333	−27	Playoff
1984	John Mahaffey (2)	340	−20	Playoff
Bob Hope Desert Classic
1983	Keith Fergus	335	−25	Playoff
1982	Ed Fiori	335	−25	Playoff
1981	Bruce Lietzke	335	−25	2 strokes
1980	Craig Stadler	343	−17	2 strokes
1979	John Mahaffey	343	−17	1 stroke
1978	Bill Rogers	339	−21	2 strokes
1977	Rik Massengale	337	−23	6 strokes
1976	Johnny Miller (2)	344	−16	3 strokes
1975	Johnny Miller	339	−21	3 strokes
1974	Hubert Green	341	−19	2 strokes
1973	Arnold Palmer (5)	343	−17	2 strokes
1972	Bob Rosburg	344	−16	1 stroke
1971	Arnold Palmer (4)	342	−18	Playoff
1970	Bruce Devlin	339	−21	4 strokes
1969	Billy Casper (2)	345	−15	3 strokes
1968	Arnold Palmer (3)	348	−12	Playoff
1967	Tom Nieporte	349	−11	1 stroke
1966	Doug Sanders	349	−11	Playoff
1965	Billy Casper	348	−12	1 stroke
Palm Springs Golf Classic
1964	Tommy Jacobs	353	−7	Playoff
1963	Jack Nicklaus	345	−13	Playoff
1962	Arnold Palmer (2)	342	−17	3 strokes
1961	Billy Maxwell	345	−14	2 strokes
Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic
1960	Arnold Palmer	338	−20	3 strokes