Indian Wells Might Become Hopeless Case

The second round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic went a lot like the first: They came, they saw, they torched the place.

Kenny Perry followed up his 64 at Indian Wells Country Club with a 66 Thursday at the Palmer Course at PGA West and is 14 under par through 36 holes. That amounts to two touchdowns and two extra points worth of birdies, not to mention a one-shot lead.

Phil Mickelson delivered a 63 to Indian Wells, which once again assumed the role as favored whipping boy of the pro golf set. Mickelson is tied for second at 13-under 131 along with Skip Kendall and Kirk Triplett.

In the midst of all this carnage, a question arose about the layout at Indian Wells. The clock might be ticking on that place.

Indian Wells Country Club has ranked as the easiest course on the PGA Tour for the last three years and nine times since they began keeping that statistic in 1983. And at 6,478 yards, it’s also the shortest course on the PGA Tour. Tournament officials might be looking for a replacement course.

“Obviously, there is an issue out here,” said John Foster, a member of the tournament’s five-person board of directors as well as a past president. “But we don’t have a better option.

“As technology evolves, we have to look at the issue. We will have to make some tough decisions.”

Foster said that in the end, the players will influence the board of directors as to whether a change of venue is called for that involves Indian Wells. He said that although he enjoys the diversity of courses in the rotation, he isn’t happy with what the pros know when they step up to the first tee at Indian Wells.

“They’re going to beat it up,” he said. “But it is what it is. It’s obviously a short course that can’t be extended.”

It might be short, but the course has a long history in this tournament. Along with Bermuda Dunes, Indian Wells is an original course in the 45-year-old event. Desi Arnaz was one of the original investors.

However, change might be inevitable. Foster said that the Hope board examines each course after every tournament, and he indicated that Indian Wells’ time under the microscope could be growing.

Study the Hope and it’s a short story. If the four courses were laid out end to end, they might stretch all the way to the corner. In its grouping with PGA West, Bermuda Dunes and Indian Wells, La Quinta is the only one that reaches 7,000 yards -- and barely, at 7,060.

History tells us that the combination of short courses, smooth fairways, perfect greens, little wind, better equipment and even-better players has led to some very low scoring in this tournament.

Ernie Els holds the PGA Tour record of 31 under par, which he set last year in the 72-hole Mercedes Championship, but the runner-up is 29 under through 72 holes, by Joe Durant at the 2001 Hope and matched by Tim Herron at the Hope last year.

The 90-hole PGA Tour scoring record is held by Durant with 36 under in the 2001 Hope. Tom Kite is second with 35 under at the 1993 Hope and John Cook is third with 33 under at the 1997 Hope.

After 36 holes this week, Indian Wells is playing to a 68.5 average, which means that par should be around 70 there.

Naturally, golfers enjoy tearing up golf courses, and few have been torn up as regularly as these. So as you might expect, there is sentiment in the locker room for giving Indian Wells a hug instead of the boot.

“The golf course is fine,” said Steve Pate, who shot a 67 Wednesday at Indian Wells. “It’s just short.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it, at least for one week out of the year. I love this place. It’s a great early-season tournament. You’ve got perfect conditions, you make birdies and you feel good about yourself.”

At the same time, players who like to swing from their heels every now and then are not huge fans of Indian Wells.

Foster acknowledged that player praise of Indian Well is not unanimous. “There are some that would like to use a driver more often,” he said.

Billy Mayfair isn’t a big hitter -- he was 113th in driving distance last year -- but he’s a big fan of Indian Wells. Maybe that’s because he shot 68 Wednesday in his first round of the year.

“It’s just part of the landscape,” Mayfair said. “You can’t really go away from that.”

Perry, who had a 64 Wednesday at Indian Wells, chose to play up the history part of the equation, saying Indian Wells is as much a part of the Hope as cactus and sand.

“It’s just kind of desert golf,” he said. “You don’t have to have Tournament Players Clubs and push the tees back to 7,400 yards. Plus, it’s amateur-friendly.”

There is no question that Indian Wells has been kind to the players, who in turn haven’t really treated it so well. Loaded with tradition, it’s short on distance, and could also find itself short on time.

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Hope Leaders

Second-round leaders at the $4.5-million Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Courses -- q: La Quinta, p: PGA West (Palmer Course), w: Indian Wells Country Club, b: Bermuda Dunes Country Club; par for all four courses is 72.

*--* Kenny Perry 64w-66p--130 -14 Phil Mickelson 68q-63w--131 -13 Skip Kendall 63p-68b--131 -13 Kirk Triplett 66p-65b--131 -13 Dean Wilson 67q-65w--132 -12 Paul Azinger 67p-65b--132 -12 Ben Crane 68p-64b--132 -12 Chris Riley 68p-64b--132 -12 John Riegger 69q-63w--132 -12 OTHERS John Daly 68b-68q--136 -8 Justin Leonard 65b-71q--136 -8 Mike Weir 70b-67q--137 -7 Charles Howell III 70w-69p--139 -5

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