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Hitting it into a greenside bunker on your approach can be a deflating experience. Just when you thought you’d have a chance at a makeable birdie or two-putt par, instead, you’re now subject to a potentially difficult lie, and it may be a struggle just to get the ball out and on the green, let alone near enough to the hole to save par.

If that scenario sounds familiar, imagine how you’d feel if missing the green resulted in facing a recovery shot from not just any greenside bunker, but the famous 19-foot-deep bunker on the 16th hole of PGA West’s Stadium course, host of this week’s The American Express.

Phil Mickelson blasts out of the massive bunker left of the green on the 16th hole of PGA West's Stadium Course.

Getty Images

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Talk about intimidating! Successfully executing an up-and-down from a greenside bunker, a feat more commonly known as a “sandy,” is always cause for celebration, but an up-and-down from this monstrosity in La Quinta deserves a much heartier accolade. Though it looks nearly impossible, a couple of players in the field this week have made masterful work of what looks like one of the toughest shots in golf.

During the Thursday’s first round, two-time Tour winner Chez Reavie found himself in the diabolical pit, needing an up-and-down to save par. Incredibly, he managed to do it, aided by a truly fantastic putt from off the green.

Just your average "sandy" for Chez Reavie. 👌#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/zD94Gvoz2s

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 16, 2020

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The post Here’s how to play PGA West’s Stadium course (and stay at a Top 100 Resort for three nights!) for $2,350 appeared first on Golf.

The post Here’s how to play PGA West’s Stadium course (and stay at a Top 100 Resort for three nights!) for $2,350 appeared first on Golf.

The PGA Tour has left the paradise of Hawaii and moved on to the mainland for this week’s The American Express in La Quinta, Calif. And while it’s not a tropical locale, the Southern California desert is an incredible golf destination — especially during the winter months.

La Quinta’s temperatures average from highs in the mid-70s in February to the low-to-mid 80s in March and April. Truly ideal! Here’s how to take a weekend getaway of your own to La Quinta — which just happens to be home to one of GOLF‘s Top 100 Resorts, the La Quinta Resort & Club — for only $2,350.

AIRFARE: ~$350

Your best bet when it comes to an arrival airport is Palm Springs (PSP), which is super-charming, albeit small. Because of this, long-haul direct flights are somewhat scarce, so depending on where you’re coming from, you’ll have to connect. But the close proximity to your destination is worth it! The alternative is flying into LAX, which leaves you with a two-hour drive — and that’s without traffic.

On a Friday to Monday itinerary I selected in late February, I found a direct flight on Jetblue from JFK to PSP, but it’s a late-nighter. A one-stop that gets you in at a reasonable hour starts at around $330. From BOS, it’s $370 and from ORD and DEN, you can get to PSP direct for $492 and $259, respectively (all prices via Expedia).

TOTAL AIRFARE: ~$350

Travel

This fantastic mocktail at La Quinta Resort is one of the most refreshing drinks I’ve ever had

GROUND TRANSPORTATION: $45

You won’t need a rental car for a stay at La Quinta Resort, where every amenity you’ll need is on property, including shuttles to the golf courses.

The drive from the airport to the resort is about 20 miles, and will take a little over a half hour. In an Uber, you can expect to pay around $45 each way — not bad, especially when you’re splitting with someone!

TOTAL SPEND: $350 + $45 = $395

The Mountain Course at La Quinta.

Courtesy Photo

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LODGING AND GREEN FEES: $2,045.50

With La Quinta Resort’s Unlimited Golf package, you can get overnight accommodations in one of the resort’s luxury casitas, as well as unlimited golf on five stunning resort courses: La Quinta’s own Dunes and Mountain layouts, or PGA West’s Stadium, Nicklaus and Norman courses. A round on the Stadium course is subject to a $50 surcharge, but you are entitled to free replays, as well as a round on one of the courses after check-in, subject to availability. So, for a three-night stay, you could potentially play five rounds! One round round on check-in day, and 36 holes each day on the other two days.

Or, you can limit yourself to one round a day, and enjoy all the amenities the resort has to offer — like the 41 pools, 53 hot spas, 21 meticulously maintained tennis courts, and more.

TOTAL LODING AND GREEN FEES SPEND: $3,201.00 (inclusive of taxes and resort fees) / two people = $1,600.50 + $50 Stadium course surcharge = $1,650.50

Note: The rate is the same for a king bedroom, or two double beds.

TOTAL SPEND: $395 + $1,650.50 = $2,045.50

A scenic view of the Dunes Course at La Quinta in California.

Courtesy Photo

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DINING: $300

With seven restaurants on property, you won’t experience any culinary boredom during a long weekend at La Quinta Resort. Try this budget on for size:

Arrival dinner: $50

Day 1 golf course lunch: $25

Day 1 dinner: $50

Day 2 golf course lunch: $25

Day 2 dinner: $50

Miscellaneous breakfasts and snacks: $100

TOTAL DINING SPEND: $300

TOTAL SPEND: $2,045.50 + $300 = $2,345.50 

And there you have it! Three nights in a Top 100 Resort, and three rounds at world-class courses, all for under $2,350! Ready to book? Happy travels!

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The post Desert Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown and winner’s share appeared first on Golf.

The post Desert Classic money: Total purse, payout breakdown and winner’s share appeared first on Golf.

The Desert Classic at the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California finishes up on Sunday with its final round, as Phil Mickelson holds a two-shot lead through three rounds. The winner of this weekend’s event will take home $1.062 million, with the purse currently set at $5.9 million.

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The runner-up this weekend will win $637,200, while the third-place finisher will walk away with $435,200.

The payout breakdown for the top 70 in the field is below.

DESERT CLASSIC PAYOUT BREAKDOWN

1. $1,062,000
2. $637,200
3. $401,200
4. $283,200
5. $236,000
6. $212,400
7. $197,650
8. $182,900
9. $171,100
10. $159,300
11. $147,500
12. $135,700
13. $123,900
14. $112,100
15. $106,200
16. $100,300
17. $94,400
18. $88,500
19. $82,600
20. $76,700
21. $70,800
22. $66,080
23. $61,360
24. $56,640
25. $51,920
26. $47,200
27. $45,430
28. $43,660
29. $41,890
30. $40,120
31. $38,350
32. $36,580
33. $34,810
34. $33,335
35. $31,860
36. $30,385
37. $28,910
38. $27,730
39. $26,550
40. $25,370
41. $24,190
42. $23,010
43. $21,830
44. $20,650
45. $19,470
46. $18,290
47. $17,110
48. $16,166
49. $15,340
50. $14,868
51. $14,514
52. $14,160
53. $13,924
54. $13,688
55. $13,570
56. $13,452
57. $13,334
58. $13,216
59. $13,098
60. $12,980
61. $12,862
62. $12,744
63. $12,626
64. $12,508
65. $12,390
66. $12,272
67. $12,154
68. $12,036
69. $11,918
70. $11,800

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The Desert Classic wraps up on Sunday at the Stadium Course at PGA West, where Phil Mickelson currently holds a two-shot lead through 54 holes.

Mickelson will play alongside Adam Hadwin and Adam Long in the last grouping of the day to begin its final round from the first tee. While Hadwin trails Lefty by two strokes, Long enters the final round three shots back of the leader. The trio is scheduled to tee off at 1:40 p.m. ET, with Mickelson looking for his 44th career victory on the PGA Tour. His most recent win came last March at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

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Meanwhile, defending champion Jon Rahm will tee off at 1:20 p.m. from the first hole alongside Dominic Bozzelli and Sungjae Im on Sunday. Rahm enters the final round six shots back of Mickelson.

You can find the complete tee times and TV schedule for the final round listed below.

TV Schedule

Sunday: 3:00-7:00 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Final Round Tee Times (ET)

First tee:

11:30 a.m.: Andrew Landry, Charles Howell III, Jonathan Byrd
11:40 a.m.: Justin Rose, Sam Ryder, Rory Sabbatini
11:50 a.m.: Chez Reavie, Cameron Davis, Josh Teater
12:00 p.m.: Lucas Glover, Kevin Streelman, J.J. Spaun
12:10 p.m.: Adam Svensson, Robert Streb, Wyndham Clark
12:20 p.m.: Russell Knox, Dylan Frittelli, Trey Mullinax
12:30 p.m.: Peter Malnati, Zach Johnson, Daniel Berger
12:40 p.m.: Harold Varner III, Vaughn Taylor, Nick Taylor
12:50 p.m.: Carlos Ortiz, Sam Burns, Alex Cejka
1:00 p.m.: Joey Garber, Sean O’Hair, Jason Kokrak
1:10 p.m.: Talor Gooch, J.T. Poston, Scott Langley
1:20 p.m.: Dominic Bozzelli, Jon Rahm, Sungjae Im
1:30 p.m.: Steve Marino, Michael Thompson, Patrick Cantlay
1:40 p.m.: Phil Mickelson, Adam Hadwin, Adam Long

Tenth tee:

11:30 a.m.: Brendan Steele, Tyler Duncan, Cody Gribble
11:40 a.m.: Abraham Ancer, Nick Watney, C.T. Pan
11:50 a.m.: Brian Stuard, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Kevin Kisner
12:00 p.m.: Curtis Luck, Nate Lashley, Andrew Putnam
12:10 p.m.: Adam Schenk, Roger Sloan, Julian Etulain
12:20 p.m.: Roberto Castro, James Hahn, Ollie Schniederjans
12:30 p.m.: Anders Albertson, John Catlin, Cameron Tringale
12:40 p.m.: Scott Piercy, Si Woo Kim
12:50 p.m.: Kramer Hickok, Ryan Blaum
1:00 p.m.: Chad Collins, Harris English
1:10 p.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Hudson Swafford
1:20 p.m.: John Huh
1:30 p.m.: Aaron Baddeley

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The PGA Tour kicks off its five-event West Coast swing this week at the 2019 Desert Classic in La Quinta, Calif. While the Stadium Course at PGA West will be the solo track for Sunday’s final round, the tournament will rotate between the Stadium Course, the Nicklaus Tournament Course, and La Quinta Country Club through the first three rounds.

The event, which has a 54-hole cut, is highlighted by defending champion Jon Rahm, World No. 1 Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.

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Ranked No. 7 in the world, Rahm will be playing alongside Chez Reavie this week. The duo will begin their opening round from the first tee of La Quinta Country Club at 1:20 p.m. ET on Thursday. Rahm, who enters as the odds-on favorite to win the Desert Classic for a second straight year, finished tied for eighth earlier this month at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in his last appearance on the Tour. His latest victory came at the Hero World Challenge last month.

Rose also begins his opening round from the first tee of La Quinta CC on Thursday. He will be paired up alongside Zach Johnson through the first three rounds, with their first round tee time set for 11:40 a.m. ET on Thursday. Rose’s last appearance was at the Indonesian Masters in December.

You may also like 5 things to know about the Stadium Course at PGA West, home of the Desert Classic

As for Mickelson, whose last event was The Match vs. Tiger Woods, he’ll be playing with reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Aaron Wise. Lefty’s opening round will commence from the first tee at La Quinta CC at 12:10 p.m ET on Thursday. His last appearance on Tour came at the Safeway Open this past October, but his most recent victory came almost a year ago at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

Complete tee times can be found here.

The Basics
What: Desert Classic in La Quinta, Calif
Where: PGA West Stadium, Nicklaus Tournament Course, La Quinta Country Club
When: Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 17-20
Defending champion: Jon Rahm
Purse: $5.9 million ($1.062 million to the winner)

TV Schedule
Thursday-Sunday: 3:00-7:00 p.m. (Golf Channel)

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The post 5 things to know about the Stadium Course at PGA West, home of the Desert Classic appeared first on Golf.

The post 5 things to know about the Stadium Course at PGA West, home of the Desert Classic appeared first on Golf.

The PGA Tour begins its five-event West Coast swing this week with the Desert Classic at PGA West in La Quinta, California. What makes this event so unique is that the first three rounds will rotate through three separate courses: PGA West’s Stadium and Nicklaus Courses, as well as La Quinta Country Club. The Stadium Course is the host track that will be used for the final round on Sunday. Here’s everything that you need to know about it.

You may also like Desert Classic betting odds: Favorites and underdogs at PGA West

Origin: The Stadium Course was designed and built by golf course architect Peter Dye in 1986. Owned by La Quinta Resort & Club, the track earned its name from Dye’s plan to put spectator seating into the natural terrain of the course. The course was inspired by and modeled after traditional Scottish links-style courses.

Design: The Stadium Course, which runs 7,300 yards from its tournament tees, has four par-3’s and four par-5’s. The par-72 track has five different sets of tees for all skill levels, and its greens and fairways are both made from Bermuda grass. Some of the course’s amenities include practice greens, a driving range, golf club rentals, and a full clubhouse.

Longest Hole: The par-5 11th runs 617 yards from the tournament tees. Nicknamed “Eternity,” it is imperative for the golfer to avoid the bunkers left of the tee. The course advises golfers to hit their second shot as far to the right as possible because it will provide one with a flatter lie for his or her approach shot. The approach shot on this hole is difficult as it is, so don’t make it harder on yourself and hit your second shot off to the hilly left side of the fairway.

Shortest Hole: The par-3 17th runs 168 yards from the tournament tees. Nicknamed “Alcatraz”, the green is located in the middle of a pond. Therefore, you can’t miss short, long, left, or right. Any errant shots have penalty strokes headed their way.

Fun facts: The Stadium Course plays host to the PGA Tour Q-School Finals every other year. As for history, it first hosted the Desert Classic in 1987, but didn’t host again until 2016. After its first year as host, Tour pros found the track to be too hard and refused to return the following year if it was played again on the Stadium Course. As a result, Tour pros signed a petition to remove it as a host course. However, the ban went up after 2015 and the Stadium Course was reinstated as host.

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The post Desert Classic betting odds: Favorites and underdogs at PGA West appeared first on Golf.

The post Desert Classic betting odds: Favorites and underdogs at PGA West appeared first on Golf.

The PGA Tour begins its five-event West Coast swing this week with the 2019 Desert Classic at the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, California. The field for this week’s event is light on star power, but who is the favorite in terms of betting odds?

World No. 7 Jon Rahm, the defending champion of the event, returns to the Desert Classic as the odds-on favorite to win the tournament for a second straight season. Rahm, who finished tied for eighth earlier this month at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in his last appearance on the Tour, enters with 7/1 odds. His latest victory came at the Hero World Challenge last month.

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The field will also feature World No. 1 Justin Rose, who has the second-highest odds at 8/1 behind Rahm. Rose’s last appearance came at Hero, where he finished third. His most recent win was achieved at the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour this past November.

Patrick Cantlay enters with 16/1 odds, followed closely behind by Charles Howell III at 20/1 and Adam Hadwin at 25/1. Then, six players sit at 30/1 odds to round out the top 10 favorites at PGA West. One of those listed at 30/1 is Phil Mickelson, who was last seen playing golf at The Match with Tiger Woods. His last appearance on Tour came at the Safeway Open this past October, but his most recent victory came almost a year ago at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

You can see a full list of betting odds for the Desert Classic below, via golfodds.com.

Desert Classic Betting Odds

Jon Rahm-7/1
Justin Rose-8/1
Patrick Cantlay-16/1
Charles Howell III-20/1
Adam Hadwin-25/1
Aaron Wise-30/1
Andrew Putnam-30/1
Abraham Ancer-30/1
Phil Mickelson-30/1
Chez Reavie-30/1
Luke List-30/1
Patton Kizzire-40/1
Kevin Kisner-40/1
Zach Johnson-40/1
Scott Piercy-40/1
Lucas Glover-40/1
Charl Schwartzel-50/1
Daniel Berger-50/1
Sungjae Im-50/1
Peter Uihlein-50/1
Hudson Swafford-50/1
J.J. Spaun-50/1
Ryan Palmer-50/1
Beau Hossler-40/1
Joaquin Niemann-60/1
Si Woo Kim-60/1
Brian Harman-60/1
Brendan Steele-60/1
Harold Varner III-60/1
Corey Conners-60/1
Russell Knox-60/1
Danny Willett-60/1
Pat Perez-60/1
Richy Werenski-60/1
C.T. Pan-60/1
Jason Dufner-80/1
Bill Haas-80/1
Bud Cauley-80/1
Chesson Hadley-80/1
Charley Hoffman-80/1
Russell Henley-80/1
Dylan Frittelli-80/1
Jamie Lovemark-80/1
Anders Albertson-80/1
Chris Kirk-80/1
Martin Laird-80/1
Brian Gay-80/1
Jhonattan Vegas-100/1
Nick Watney-100/1
Andrew Landry-100/1
Anirban Lahiri-100/1
Harris English-100/1
Ryan Armour-100/1
Denny McCarthy-100/1
Sam Burns-100/1
Bronson Burgoon-125/1
Sam Ryder-125/1
Brandon Harkins-125/1
Jason Kokrak-125/1
James Hahn-125/1
Kevin Streelman-150/1
Ollie Schniederjans-150/1
J.T. Poston-150/1
Cameron Davis-150/1
Brian Stuard-150/1
Matt Jones-150/1
Whee Kim-150/1
Ryan Blaum-150/1
Roberto Castro-150/1
Sam Saunders-150/1
Sean O’Hair-150/1
Aaron Baddeley-150/1
Rory Sabbatini-150/1
Hunter Mahan-150/1
John Catlin-200/1
Scott Stallings-200/1
Seamus Power-200/1
Nick Taylor-200/1
Chris Stroud-250/1

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