Phil Chooses To Study Classic Club Course Changes From Safe Confines of Rancho Santa Fe

Larry Dorman reports:

Mickelson will be skipping the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, which starts Jan. 16, for the first time since 2001, and there is sure to be speculation that he is not happy with the change of courses at a tournament where he has won twice.

He has not played since winning the HSBC Champions in China in early November.

“Taking more than two months off sounds like a long time, but I’ll have to be fresh and ready to go when the 2008 season starts because I’ll play five in a row starting in San Diego,” Mickelson said on his Web site. "Plus, I just really, really hate the Classic Club."

Just wanted to make sure you were reading!

Larry Bohannan documents the changes to the Classic Club that Phil will not experience this year.

Comments

[Steven T.]

PM will also be reading about Max Behr and concentrate on his golf course design business.

[JSS]

Its an Arnold Palmer design. Did Palmer do the changes or did they bring in someone else to fix the mess?

[La Habra Art Department]

Visualize an image of Old Tom Morris, standing alongside one of the many mundane, boring golf holes of the Classic Course; a tear running down from his eye when looking at the beautiful sand dunes just to the North which were exactly what compromised the Classic Club property before Arnie got to it.

And they wonder why there isn't a decent course in Coachella Valley.....

[macboube]

Not a decent track in the Desert? I will agree there are not many, however, you obviously have not seen Stone Eagle. Doak brought a lot of life into the Desert with this course.