Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
Monday Jan 14 - Sunday Jan 20, 2008

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic: Final-Round Notebook

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Jan. 20, 2008
By John Bush, PGA TOUR Staff

PALM DESERT, Calif. -- D.J. Trahan fired a 7-under-65 on Sunday to claim top honors at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by George Lopez, storming back from a four-shot deficit at the start of the day to top Justin Leonard by three shots. He collects 4,500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings through three events, with 4,546 points. K.J. Choi maintains the top spot with 4,681 points, followed by Daniel Chopra, with 4,633.

Justin Leonard
Justin Leonard has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six PGA TOUR starts. (How/WireImage)
Inside the Numbers
Final Leaderboard
Player Score
1. D.J. Trahan 334 -26
2. Justin Leonard 337 -23
T3. Anthony Kim 338 -22
T3. Kenny Perry 338 -22
T5. Chez Reavie 339 -21
T5. Ryan Moore 339 -21
T5. Steve Elkington 339 -21
T8. Vaughn Taylor 341 -19
T8. Charley Hoffman 341 -19
T8. Boo Weekley 341 -19
T8. Brett Rumford 341 -19

• The victory is the second of Trahan's career, with his first coming when he defeated Joe Durant on the third playoff hole at the 2006 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. Trahan flirted with victory at the 2007 Frys.com Open, finishing runner-up by four strokes to George McNeill. He had missed the cut in two previous starts at the BHCC (2006-07).

• With his runner-up finish -- the 16th of his career -- Justin Leonard has now finished inside the top 10 in five of his last six tournaments, dating back to his win at the 2007 Valero Texas Open. During that six-tournament stretch, he has collected one victory, matching ties sixth finishes in 2007 at the Frys Electronics Open and the Children's Miracle Network Classic, a tie for eighth at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Championship and this week's second-place effort.

• D.J. Trahan, at 27 years, 1 month and 2 days, joins David Duval (1999) as the only players in their 20s to win the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic since 1988. The youngest winner of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic was Jack Nicklaus in 1963 at the age 23 years and 13 days.

• 1995 champion Kenny Perry tied for third, marking his sixth top-10 effort at the BHCC. Only seven players have posted more top-10 finishes since the tournament's inception in 1960, including Billy Casper's tournament-leading 12 and Arnold Palmer's 11. It is the 12th third-place finish of Perry's career, to go along with nine wins and eight runner-up finishes.

Scott McCarron tied for 70th in his first PGA TOUR start since missing the cut at the 2006 Booz Allen Classic. The three-time TOUR winner is back on TOUR after a long rehabilitation after undergoing elbow surgery in August of 2006.

• Three players recorded all five rounds in the 60s, including Anthony Kim, Steve Elkington and Bill Haas. In BHCC history, 104 players have posted five rounds in the 60s in a single event.

• With Justin Leonard failing to carry the fourth-round lead on to victory, the 72-hole leader has now won the BHCC just 21 times in 49 tries.

Charley Hoffman finished tied for eighth in his attempt to become just the second player in BHCC history to win in back-to-back seasons. Johnny Miller is the only player to perform the feat, winning in 1975 and 1976. Hoffman's finish was the best by a defending champion since 2002 champion Phil Mickelson tied for sixth in 2003. In all, winners of the BHCC have posted 12 top-10 finishes in their title defense, but just five in the past 32 years.

• D.J. Trahan led the tournament with 35 birdies, one more than third-place finisher Kenny Perry.

Chez Reavie, who began the season with a then-career-best tie for 32nd at last week's Sony Open in Hawaii, equaled D.J. Trahan with the round of the day (7-under 65). It helped move the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion from a tie for ninth to a tie for fifth. Reavie is a 26-year-old rookie on TOUR after finishing No. 18 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list.

• Both Chez Reavie (tied for fifth) and Brett Rumford (tied for eighth) posted top-10 finishes in their first appearance at the BHCC. It also represents the first top-10 finish of each player's career.

Fred Couples, who moved into second this week on the BHCC all-time cuts made list with 22 (just two behind Peter Jacobsen), finished tied for 56th. It represents just the ninth time in 23 starts that he has failed to record a top-25 finish. His only missed cut at the annual five-day tournament came in 1999.

Bart Bryant (tied for 16th) ended the tournament with a streak of 50 consecutive bogey-free holes. The last mistake on his scorecard came during the third round when he bogeyed his fourth hole (No. 13) at The Classic Club.

• There were a total of 50 bogey-free rounds, including four on Sunday at The Classic Club -- Chez Reavie (65), Vaughn Taylor (66), Bart Bryant (68) and Brian Davis (68). For the week, there were 16 such rounds at La Quinta Country Club, 15 at The Classic Club, 10 at Palmer Private at PGA West and nine at SilverRock Resort.

• D.J. Trahan earned his second PGA TOUR victory in his 100th career professional start (101th overall) at the age of 27 years, one month, and two days. He captured the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in his third start in Palm Desert (MC/2006; MC/2007).

• Trahan also collected a $918,000 first-place check, the largest of his career, which brings his season's earnings on the PGA TOUR to $927,805. He moves to third on the 2008 season money list. His career earnings now total $3,883,605.

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