The Starter: Round 3, 50th Bob Hope Classic

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Briny Baird is one of the few players who have approached Pat Perez's level of play in the first two rounds of the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer.

Jan. 23, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first group will soon tee off in today's third round of the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Here's how it sets up:

Note: This is a five-round pro-am event, with PGA TOUR players paired with amateur partners for the first four rounds. There will be a cut after the fourth round, and the field will be paired normally for the fifth and final round. The tournament is spread out over four courses. For a complete rundown of the four courses the field will play this week, click here.

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Player
1:36 pm ET (10:36 am in California)		Pat Perez (Silver Rock) He's already 20 under with three rounds to go. Can he shoot 65-65-66 to finish at 40 under? If the wind stays calm, that scenario seems awfully likely.
12:15 pm ET (9:15 am in California)		Briny Baird (Silver Rock) This guy's never had a problem with racking up a lot of birdies. At the Bob Hope Classic, he's been shooting fish in a barrel the first two rounds.
11:57 am ET (8:57 am in California)		Rich Beem (Nicklaus Course) He lost his PGA TOUR card after the 2008 season, but the Beemer always loves coming to the desert. He hasn't made a bogey this week.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Friday's third round:

Almost all the players at the PGA West complex -- which includes the Palmer Private Course and the Nicklaus Private Course -- ended their second rounds on Thursday and then went over to either Silver Rock or Bermuda Dunes to hit some putts and chips and get the feel of the greens for the third round on Friday.

Bubba Watson shot 69 to follow up a 62 on Wednesday. He made a great comeback to shoot 69. He started out with a bogey on No. 2 and then followed that up with a triple bogey on No. 6. It is funny the way we golfers look at things some times, and I totally identify with the following story Bubba told me after his round:

"The best shot I hit all day was the 9-iron I hit at No. 6, where I made triple. I hit it really solid and was trying to lean on it a little and it came up just short and rolled back in the water, but I can't get mad about that, because I hit the shot I was trying to hit. My caddy just told me come on there are a bunch of birdies out here and I went on to birdie seven of the next 13 holes."

Friday's forecast

Cloudy
Temp: 72 high/52 low
Cloudy with a few showers. Light winds.

Lesson here: Never give up!

On Friday and Saturday, we will see a whole new wave of players on Silver Rock and Bermuda Dunes. These players will come over hungry to continue making birdies and hope to make them the way the leader Pat Perez is making them on over half the holes.

The conditions at the PGA West compound will stay easy. If the wind stays down, the fairways are still fairly soft and easy to hold. The greens are still quite receptive, yet a little firmer than Round 1. The rough is very playable and the "Birdie Vibe" is loose over here because Pat Perez has set the bar. Everyone else is jumping trying to reach it.

One other great thing will happen on Friday and Saturday -- the celebrity wave will come, so all the celebrities will be on the same complex for two days. I am not sure if that has ever happened in the 50 years of Bob Hope Classic play. Get your autograph book out and have some fun, but don't get in Bo Jackson's Way!

The one stat(s) you need to know

Talk about consistency: In each of the first two rounds, Pat Perez has hit 10 fairways, 16 greens, and used 25 putts. He has not hit an approach shot into a greenside bunker.

THE SECRET TO PEREZ'S SUCCESS? MARRIAGE
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) -- Pat Perez, who has yet to win a title in his seven years on the PGA TOUR, thinks maybe he's taken a big step toward fixing that. He got married.

Perez

"Everyone that gets married seems to win. Paul Casey got married the day after he won last week. (Jason) Gore got married, won. (Rory) Sabbatini, he won," Perez said Thursday after he shot a 9-under 63 in the Bob Hope Classic to move to 20-under through two rounds -- unprecedented in PGA TOUR history.

And if marriage doesn't work?

"I figured I'd try it. If not, I can always get divorced," Perez said.

After the laughter in the interview room died down, he grinned and added, "No, I'm just kidding."

The 32-year-old Perez, who married in December, was amazing on the golf course again during the second round -- and amusing afterward.

Asked about his spouse, he smiled and said, "My wife's name is Athena, and she is the Greek goddess of war. And that holds 100 percent true."

Perez had reason to be in good humor. He had just become the first player in PGA TOUR history to play a 36-hole stretch in a tournament at 20-under, keeping him two strokes in front heading into the third round.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry takes a look at the second round and has a preview of Friday's action. Watch it
	Another ace For the second day in a row, an amateur scored an ace. Gary Levine's shot barely trickled into the hole after hitting the front of the green. Watch it
	Adamonis on his 62 Brad Adamonis spoke with Dennis Paulson from the PGA TOUR Network after firing the low round of the day on Thursday. Watch it

Round	Leader	Low round (par 72)	Key links
	Pat Perez (-11)	61: Pat Perez	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Ben Crane feature \| Notebook
	Pat Perez (-20)	62: Brad Adamonis	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Richard S. Johnson feature \| Notebook