Torre Nissan

The PGA TOUR tournament in La Quinta, Calif. has a new name, a new format, a new trophy, and most important, an innovative new focus on health and well-being. The "Humana Challenge" has been announced as the new name of the event formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic, and will feature several changes to the format beginning in 2012.

"Humana, the Clinton Foundation and the PGA TOUR will work together to promote health and well-being in order to positively impact people's behavior and improve their quality of life," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. "There will be a number of ways that attendees and viewers can take part in healthy lifestyle practices throughout the week that they can easily adapt to their everyday lives. In addition, we are delighted to have the enthusiastic support of the Hope family. Mr. Hope epitomized a healthy lifestyle, living to be 100. We will continue to honor his legacy and be forever grateful for what he did for golf, this tournament, the PGA TOUR and charity."

The name is changing to reflect the tournament's new strategic direction. The tournament week is designed to bring the idea of "participatory wellness" to life for people of all ages and will feature a first-ever national conference focused on health and well-being on Tuesday, highlighted by a keynote address from President William J. Clinton.

"The Humana Challenge is conceived as a new kind of experience -- a premier PGA TOUR event that simultaneously immerses players, spectators and viewers in a variety of innovative and fun events around the theme of lifelong well-being," said Mike McCallister, Humana's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The Tuesday conference and the activities surrounding the golf tournament will play a key role in addressing challenges we all face as we strive to live healthier lives."

The tournament will "challenge" -- hence the name -- participating TOUR pros, amateur golfers, celebrities, volunteers, sponsor guests, spectators and the millions of television viewers around the country to interact with Humana, the Clinton Foundation, the PGA TOUR, and Desert Classic Charities during a week-long celebration of world-class golf, healthy lifestyle options, and fitness-oriented activities.

Besides the name change and new strategic direction, the tournament also will feature several changes to the professional and amateur format. The changes include:

A four-day tournament, beginning Thursday of tournament week, with the first three rounds played in a pro-am format.

The pro-am teams will consist of one professional and one amateur playing in groups of four.

For each day of the three round pro-am competition, the professional will have a different amateur partner. Amateurs will compete in daily competitions as well as an overall, three day competition

Round 4 will be professionals only with a normal 70 + ties cut.

The field size for the event will be 144 professionals, an increase of 16 professional spots from the previous format, and 144 amateurs.

The number of courses being used in the rotation is being reduced from four to three: La Quinta Country Club, a tournament course since 1965, PGA WEST Nicklaus Private and PGA WEST Palmer Private. PGA WEST has been in the rotation since 1986. Though the city-owned SilverRock Resort course will no longer be utilized, the event will continue its close partnership with the City of La Quinta as it provides support services and joint-marketing efforts for the event.