Campbell Takes Driver’s Seat

If a 72-hole tournament is a sprint, does a 90-hole tournament such as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic become a marathon?

It’s more like a math problem, said Chad Campbell, as in the number of birdies you must add up and write down on your scorecard.

“I don’t know how the scores are going to end up, but always in this tournament, you’ve got to make a ton of birdies,” he said.

“It always seems 25 under or 30 under wins here.”

If he’s doing his math properly, Campbell could be halfway there. He required only 66 shots Thursday to tour La Quinta Country Club in the second round of the Hope and holds a four-shot lead over Pat Perez and John Senden at 15-under 129.

That’s three shots short of the 36-hole tournament record set by Joe Durant five years ago, but Campbell was in a good mood after playing the four par-five holes in three under. He was five under on the par-fives Wednesday at Bermuda Dunes, where he shot a 63.

“If you get up to a reachable par-five and you’re not making birdie, you really feel like you’re giving one back there,” he said.

The three lowest 90-hole scores in PGA Tour history are from the Hope, a hit list that’s led by Durant, who was 36 under par when he won in 2001. Tom Kite was 35 under and a winner in 1993, and John Cook was 33 under in his victory in 1997.

Senden, who tied for sixth at last year’s Hope, eagled his ninth hole and birdied his last hole on his way to a 63 at the Palmer Course at PGA West. It was the low round of a windy second round that had gusts measured at 25 to 30 mph at the Classic Club.

Only nine of the 32 pros who played the Classic Club at Palm Desert shot under par Thursday.

As for Perez, let’s just say he had the kind of day that sorely tested his newfound positive attitude. He was four over after 11 holes and wound up with a one-over 73 at the wind-blown Classic Club.

It was a round that suffered in comparison with the 60 he shot in the first round at the Palmer Course at PGA West. This was no surprise to Perez, who offered a brief critique of his round.

“Terrible compared to yesterday,” he said.

This time, Perez knocked his ball into the water at three holes, including his first shot of the day at No. 1, his first shot at the 10th, plus his four-iron second shot at the 18th.

He was not happy about it, but Perez should have known such a feeling was a distinct possibility, right after he played nine holes in a practice round Sunday at the Classic Club.

“The flags were almost coming out of the holes ... it was blowing 80 miles an hour. I said ‘We’re out of here.’ That gave me a good enough sign of what could happen during the week.”

The Classic Club played to an average score of 73.37 on Thursday, about 3 1/2 shots harder than the first round. It was also close to four shots more difficult than the Palmer Course at PGA West played in the second round.

“This course is so much different than any other one,” Perez said. “It’s not even close to PGA West. And the wind tunnel. It howls here....

“It’s hard to be grinding, making pars and seeing these guys making birdie after birdie on the other courses.”

Perez attempted diplomacy, but gave up quickly when asked if the new Classic Club fits in with the other courses in the Hope rotation.

“I won’t comment on that,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t think it does, but you know, we’re here and we’re going to be here, so everyone is going to have to deal with it.”

Even though he’s in the lead, Campbell is hardly safe, not with 54 holes left and birdie opportunities out there blowing in the wind. Steve Elkington eagled the last hole at the Palmer Course at PGA West, finished with a 70 and is tied for third with Olin Browne, five shots behind Campbell.

Phil Mickelson followed up his opening 66 with a 69 at the Palmer Course to tie for sixth at nine-under 135 with Tom Pernice and Kevin Sutherland.

Campbell, who tied for second last week at the Sony Open and won $448,800, is a two-time PGA Tour winner whose breakout victory was the 2003 Tour Championship. The 31-year-old from Lewisville, Texas, said he’s a better player now. He has played all 36 holes of the Hope without a bogey, and 44 holes overall without one. He has one bogey in his last 80 holes.

“I want to be more consistent,” he said. “I want to be able to contend more often, like every week that Tiger plays, he’s around the leaderboard. I have my weeks here and there. Hopefully, this will be the year that happens for me.”