Saturday, July 9, 2011

From Hope to Humana, a necessary evil on the PGA Tour

I grew up in a small town in East Texas, and these days my family and friends joke about how nobody really knew the names of streets in our little city because we just made note of directions by familiar landmarks. "Yeah, take a right at the Hamptons' house and then its' down there on the left," or "just past the old JC Penneys is the new restaurant."

It didn't matter that the Hamptons hadn't lived in that house in more than a decade or that JC Pennys had been out of business since the first Bush was in office, it just is how certain things are remembered.

That's why no matter how many times the newly named Humana Challenge changes sponsors and names, it will forever be known as the Bob Hope Classic, and that's fine, because it should be known as the Bob Hope.

Hope, who added his name to the tournament in 1965, was as much an ambassador of golf as anyone that has ever stepped foot on stage or been around a boom mic, and will forever live a pioneer in the art of integrating stars and golfers together for tournaments. His love for the game helped push golf into another arena, and while adding a�sponsor�these days is necessary to keep certain tournaments afloat, I believe that like my hometown, PGA Tour stars will still be asking their friends, "are you playing the Hope this year?"

I do applaud Humana for coming up with the idea of a Bob Hope Trophy to give to the winner, keeping the legacy alive for even longer, and I'm glad they signed on as I'm sure a lot of their changes will make the tournament even better.

Adding a sponsor to this event is, interestingly enough, another step forward in golf, much like Hope did back in the '60s when he joined this event.

Missi Pyle Jessica Alba Kylie Bax Diora Baird Laura Prepon

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