Desert Breeze

Leonard was troubled by stray drives on Sunday.

Even the driven, eyes-straight-ahead Leonard was impressed by Trahan's composure. The Hope is different in many ways. Wednesday morning, for instance, Tim Petrovic was first off No. 10 at the host Classic Club. He sizzled out in 31. "And then we had halftime," he said, having counted four groups ahead of his on the No. 1 tee. "The Super Bowl halftime is 20 minutes and ours was about 40 minutes. With no entertainment." The weather can be quirky, too. Not Green Bay quirky, but quirky. Boo Weekley, who wanted no part of Scotland's dampness, found the desert so painfully dry that he awakened with a bloody nose. That don't happen back home in Florida, added Boo, "not unless somebody hits me." Even after all the amateurs disappear, Sundays can be unnerving with threesomes off both nines in hurry-up-and-wait formation.

But it isn't every week that you get to see a group comprised of Jesper Parnevik, Alice Cooper and Meat Loaf. Still, many golfers in the field thought the list of celebrities besides George Lopez was a bit lean. Apparently, the lads were not impressed by the recruitment of Keith (Whoa Nellie) Jackson, the famous football broadcaster who enjoyed retiring so much, he did it twice. Of course, the movie stars and singers could have returned the volley by cracking on the roster of pros. Only three of the top 30 ranked golfers were in town -- Scott Verplank, Stewart Cink and Mike Weir -- and to fill 128 spots for the edification of 384 amateurs, the PGA Tour went deep into the alternate list. Real deep. But the show must go in, and the Hope always salutes history in such a way as to honor the legendary entertainer whose name this tournament bears. At Sunday's ball the theme was "Road to Zanzibar," one of Bob Hope's most successful movies, co-starring Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Visitors at the bash were greeted by an elephant, zebra, monkey and giraffe. "We try to do it bigger and better each year," said Travis Erwin, co-chair of the choreography.

Last week's Hope marked the debut of SilverRock Resort to the rotation. The course, owned by the city of La Quinta and designed by Arnold Palmer, was supposed to be finished and ready for the tournament by 2006. But delays occured, in part as a result of flooding. SilverRock is situated at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains, along a canal, and Hope golfers noted that depending on the time of day, a number of holes are played in the chilly shade. The Classic Club, which is owned by the Hope foundation, underwent a number of cosmetic changes estimated by board member John Foster to cost $500,000. Also, the routing on the front nine was revised for the tournament week to improve the flow of play. The first hole became No. 3, the second became No. 4, the eighth became No. 1 and the seventh became No. 2.

Daly's woe was sore ribs.

Best of all, for the entirety of five rounds, unlike last year's final round when flagsticks were bending at the waist, the howling winds never materialized. After the closing 18 holes one January ago Phil Mickelson inquired whether the tournament would be returning to the Classic Club this January. It would, he was told, and thus he didn't. But the lefty wasn't the only conspicuous absence. Star pitcher Roger Clemens was supposed to participate again, but withdrew because he has been quite busy of late. Then there was John Daly, who started but didn't reach Sunday. During the third round Friday at the PGA West/Palmer course, Daly was tended to a couple of times between shots by famed therapist Jim Weathers. Big John says he is still ailing from a rib injury incurred last year. "When I breathe sometimes, I get this burning sensation," said Daly, who did attend parties Friday night and into Saturday morning.

At one of the bashes, Daly was reported to have joined Cooper in a rendition of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." However, shortly before his 9:33 scheduled tee time at the Classic Club for Round Four, Daly withdrew, citing a rib injury. Last year he collected a half dozen WDs, and as much as Daly is beloved by fans, tournament directors might be getting wary of his risk-reward quotient. "I've played in Phoenix for a bunch of years, 17 or something, and thought I would get an exemption from them," Daly said, referring to the FBR Open next week. "But it ain't happening. The way I played last year, being hurt, I gotta depend on a lot of sponsor's exemptions. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. One way to change that would be to play better." But to play better, Daly has to play, period.