Regardless of leaderboard, Hope Chrysler Classic very worth watching this weekend

The Hope can seem like one of those events on the PGA tour that isn’t worth the time of day, but I’m beginning to appreciate it for the first time. It’s five rounds, which has no downside, the weather is so nice that it puts me in a good mood just watching it on T.V., and the best part of all is that there is a plethora of guys who are still in the hunt.

David Duval was 2 over for the tournament with only a few holes left in his round on Friday, and I caught myself thinking, “he’s done.” But then I remembered that he plays Saturday regardless of how high his score is, and Duval is still very capable of putting up a 62 or 63 at one of these courses. Obviously this wouldn’t put him in serious contention, but he at least he would be playing on Sunday. I would say that given the weather and the course conditions, anyone within ten shots has an outside shot of making it interesting on Sunday, and there are some pretty good players at –10 or better. This fact alone makes the tournament worth watching today, and I’m glad I finally see it this way after all these years of blowing off certain PGA events.

While I love to see some good Sunday torture U.S. Open style where guys have 25-footers to save par, I’m anxious to see who comes out of nowhere today. Of course, 67s and 68s are nothing to get too excited about at the Hope, but a 62 is news anywhere, and we’re bound to see a few numbers like that this weekend, probably from some sleepers.