Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/
Clay Walker Official Website) - Country music superstar
Clay Walker joins former Major League Baseball and
National Football League standout Bo Jackson, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria, and famed musicians Huey Lewis and
Michael Bolton who are among the initial celebrity athletes and entertainers joining golf legend Arnold Palmer for the 50th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Hosted by Arnold Palmer, Jan. 19-25, 2009.
During his 15 year career, Walker has participated in dozens of golf tournaments with a charity element.
Other celebrity participants for the Classic, a desert tradition since 1960, include musicians Alice Cooper, Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles) and Josh Kelley, actors Kurt Russell, Chris O'Donnell, Thomas Gibson, Oliver Hudson and Jeffrey Donovan, actor/comedian Kevin Nealon, actor/game show host John O'Hurley, timeless New York Yankees baseball legend Yogi Berra, comedian Tom Dreesen, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and sportscaster Dan Fouts, Hall of Fame sportscaster Keith Jackson, television financial host Joe Kernen, Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, former Green Bay Packers wide receiver and NFL analyst Sterling Sharpe, and former Vice President Dan Quayle.
The celebrity field's schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 21, SilverRock Resort; Thursday, Jan. 22, Bermuda Dunes Country Club; Friday, Jan. 23, Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West; Saturday, Jan. 24, Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA WEST.
PGA TOUR professional D.J. Trahan will return to defend his 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic title, which he won by three strokes after firing a final-round, 7-under-par 65 to finish at 26-under 334 over 90 holes. All five days of The Classic will be televised on Golf Channel. At stake is a purse of $5.1 million, $918,000 to the winner.
Golf and Coachella Valley icon Palmer played in the tournament 42 of its 50 years and he is the only five-time champion, winning the inaugural tournament in 1960 and again in 1962, '68, '71 and '73. He won a total of 62 PGA TOUR titles. The five-day Classic is played each winter on four desert courses. It features 128 top PGA TOUR professionals and 384 amateur contestants, including a stellar list of 30 celebrities.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary tournament, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic's host course will be the Palmer Private Course at PGA West. Other courses in the 2009 rotation will be Bermuda Dunes Country Club, an original course in the first tournament in 1960, La Quinta's SilverRock Resort, which debuted in 2008, and the Nicklaus Private Course at PGA West, in the rotation for the first time.
In 49 years, the tournament has donated more than $45 million to local charities throughout the Coachella Valley. Tickets priced at only $25 per day, with several packages offering additional savings, and further information are available at www.bhcc.com or by calling 1.888.MRBHOPE (672.4673).
Visit www.claywalker.com for more information. Also stop by Band Against MS www.bandagainstms.org to learn about Clay's charity and help donate to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
