The Daily Wrap-up, Round 1: The 50th Bob Hope Classic
LA QUINTA, California (AP) -- Pat Perez shot a 61 to take the lead in the 50th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer on a warm, still Wednesday in the desert resort area. But his sparkling 11-under round was good enough for only a one-shot lead.
With playing conditions ideal, 2003 champion Mike Weir and Bubba Watson opened the five-day tournament with 62s, and six players were another shot behind on the jam-packed leaderboard.
Perez, intimately familiar with how things can go in the low-scoring Hope, wasn't exactly doing handsprings over his round that was just two shots off the PGA TOUR record of 59, last matched by David Duval in the final round of his 1999 victory on the same Palmer Course at PGA West.
After all, Perez shot a first-round 60 in the tournament three years ago only to wind up 73rd, and had a second-round 61 in 2003, when he tied for sixth.
So he said he can't be too excited about his opening number this time.
"Because the number is 30 under, 30 plus," Perez said, noting what it often takes to win the Hope when conditions are good. "You don't try to get there too fast, you try to get there over five days.
"So yeah, it's nice, it's a good round, the conditions are perfect. That's all."
He acknowledged, though, that after a 28 on his front nine, the record was on his mind.
"I was thinking 58 for sure," Perez said. "I can't believe it. It's the second year now I've been right there and I haven't been able to do it."
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CRANE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WITH START
By Larry Bohannan, Special to PGATOUR.COM
LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Ben Crane's first round of the 2009 PGA TOUR season was hardly expected, he said.
"I certainly didn't have a target score of 63 today," Crane laughed after finishing 9 under on the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West in the first round of the Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer.
Crane's round of one eagle and seven birdies did more than just keep him near the lead in a charge on the Nicklaus Private Course, which is joining the four-course rotation this year.
Crane didn't want any part of the record, though, remembering that David Gossett had shot 59 on the Nicklaus Private in the 2000 PGA TOUR Qualifying finals. Told that didn't count as a tournament record, Crane mocked disdain.
"OK well, that's still four shots better," Crane said.
As for his own round Wednesday, matching his low round for the entire 2008 season, Crane said the key was an eagle on the par-5 13th, his fourth hole of the day.
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| Wednesday's Best |
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The par-5 11th on the Palmer Course at PGA West was the easiest with a Wednesday scoring average of 4.219.
The par-3 fourth hole on Bermuda Dunes was the toughest with a scoring average of 3.281.
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Amateur Andrew Goldfarb, a 12-handicapper, aced the 156-yard, par-3 15th hole on the Palmer Course to win the $100,000 Sentient Jet Hole-In-One contest. 
Pat Perez had 10 birdies, an eagle and just one bogey en route to an 11-under 61 and a one-stroke lead after the first round. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | |
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Bob Stevens offers these observations from Wednesday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.com.
Golf's magic number, 59, is as sacred as baseball's no-hitter and treated in much the same way by the players. Generally, if a pitcher has a no-hitter going, he'll never talk about it, or even try to think about it, and certainly won't admit to either while its in progress. Pat Perez is different. He admitted to me that he not only thought of a 59, but of a 58 after he made the turn in 8-under-par 28. But a bogey at the par-3 fifth derailed the express. Incredibly, his 61 isn't even his best round at Palmer Private -- he shot a 60 here in 2006, so he might have been the least impressed person in the Coachella Valley.
Maybe even more impressive than his 61 was the way Perez interacted with his amateurs, and they might have saved his round from sinking. You could see the volatile Perez about to blow after that bogey and a hooked drive at No. 6, but his happy-go-lucky partners kept him laughing and he continued to show them his gracious side and he righted the ship with a bounce-back birdie. For all the volatility and the boxing glove head covers, Perez is one of the best pro partners in this unique format.
Keep an eye on a relaxed Mark Wilson this week. He's playing a home game without all the hometown pressures. The Chicago native's in-laws have lived in Palm Springs for over a decade. So he's in familiar surroundings all week without the pressure to entertain all the family and friends many players get when they play close to home. And the grandparents love doting on his 17-month-old son, so its a true holiday.
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FIRST-ROUND NOTEBOOK: BOB HOPE CLASSIC
By Mark Stevens, PGA TOUR Media Official
LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Pat Perez shot an 11-under par 61 on the Palmer Course to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Perez's round included 10 birdies, an eagle and a bogey.
• Perez has a history of going low at the Bob Hope Classic, shooting a 12-under 60 during the first round in 2006 on the Palmer Course and an 11-under 61 in the second round at the 2003 on Bermuda Dunes Country Club. Although Perez has a history of turning in low rounds at this event he has not finished in the top-5 in five previous appearances at this event.
• Teeing off his round at No. 10 on the Palmer Course, Perez fired an 8-under 28 over his first nine holes. Robert Gamez set the tournament record for lowest nine holes in 2004 with a 27 at Indian Wells CC. The PGA TOUR record for low 9 holes is a 26 set by Corey Pavin in 2006.
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
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