Great angst went into naming the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. For the first time since 1965, Bob Hope’s name will not grace the title of the tournament, which began in 1960 as the Palm Springs Desert Classic and added Hope’s name five years later.
That was back in the day when celebrities — Sammy Davis Jr., Andy Williams, Glen Campbell and Bing Crosby, to name a few — loaned their name to tournaments and acted as the host.
 |
The comedian and actor takes a swing at the 1990 event.
Photo by: Getty Images |
The Hope family was admittedly against pulling Bob Hope’s name off the tournament and lobbied to keep it there, but tour officials reasoned that the time had come to make a change. Humana was stepping up to fill the void as title sponsor, and the overall support coming from the company and the Clinton Foundation frankly demanded it.
“We’ve tried to pay extra attention to the Bob Hope legacy to ensure that it remains an integral part of the tournament,” said Tom Noland, senior vice president of corporate communications at Humana.
The main area where fans will congregate near the clubhouse is called Bob Hope Square, the trophy was renamed to incorporate Hope’s name, and footage of Hope from previous tournaments will run through Golf Channel’s broadcast to pay homage to the comedian and actor.
“One of the reasons we liked this tournament so much is that Bob Hope was a legitimate fitness believer,” Noland said. “He walked after dinner every night and he lived to be 100. He exemplified what we mean by lifelong well-being.”
