Desert Classic

The American Express
Tournament information
Location	La Quinta, California
Established	1960
Course(s)	La Quinta Country Club; PGA West; (Stadium Course); (Nicklaus Tournament Course)
Par	72
Length	7,060 yards (6,460 m) (LQ); 7,140 yards (6,530 m) (S); 7,181 yards (6,566 m) (NT)
Organized by	Impact Through Golf
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$8,400,000
Month played	January
Tournament record score
Aggregate	72 holes:; 259 Nick Dunlap (2024); 90 holes:; 324 Joe Durant (2001)
To par	72 holes:; −29 as above; 90 holes:; −36 as above
Current champion
	Nick Dunlap (a)
Location map
	PGA West Location in the United States PGA West Location in California

The Desert Classic (currently known as The American Express for sponsorship reasons; previously known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, Palm Springs Golf Classic, the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and the Humana Challenge) is a professional golf tournament in southern California on the PGA Tour. Played in mid-winter in the Coachella Valley (greater Palm Springs), it is part of the tour's early season "West Coast Swing."

It previously had five rounds of competition (90 holes) rather than the standard of four rounds, and was known for its celebrity pro-am. For many years, the event was named for and hosted by entertainer Bob Hope and featured a number of celebrity participants.^[1]

In 2012, the Desert Classic changed to a traditional 72-hole format over three different courses with a 54-hole cut, similar to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and ended their celebrity pro-am.^[2] The tournament is organized by the nonprofit Impact Through Golf, which took over from Desert Classic Charities in 2020.^[3]

^ "Casper wins by stroke". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. February 8, 1965. p. 3B – via Google News Archive.
^ "George Lopez' comments show his days as Desert Classic host still stir emotions".
^ Bohannan, Larry (January 11, 2020). "Desert Classic Charities' exit clears way for new American Express charity model". Desert Sun. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

[cwbstr-1] "Casper wins by stroke". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. February 8, 1965. p. 3B – via Google News Archive.

[2] "George Lopez' comments show his days as Desert Classic host still stir emotions".

[3] Bohannan, Larry (January 11, 2020). "Desert Classic Charities' exit clears way for new American Express charity model". Desert Sun. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

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