LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Charley Hoffman knows his time on the PGA Tour is numbered. He can feel every one of his 48 years every time his problematic back hurts, and he knows the recent reduction in business cards will end most players’ careers long before they reach his age.
However, Hoffman isn’t done swinging yet.
Back home in Southern California, he fought his way to a share of the lead Friday at the American Express, a tournament he won 18 years ago — and he’s determined to continue to fight until his time is up.
“When I’m healthy, when it’s hot, I feel like I can beat anyone in the world,” Hoffman said with a smile. “When it’s cold and my back doesn’t feel good, I don’t think I can beat anyone in the world.”
Hoffman and Rico Hoey both shot 9-under 63 on the Nicklaus Tournament Course to share the lead after two rounds in the Coachella Valley desert.
Hoffman and Hoey were at 16-under 128 at the halfway point of the three-course tournament, although the two Southern California natives have yet to take on the tougher course at PGA West’s Pete Day Stadium. They had a head start on Justin Lower, Mark Hubbard and Sepp Straka. Jason Day and JJ Spaun were under 14 years old.
Hoffman is seeking his fifth victory by participating in the 517th event of his career on the circuit. The San Diego native played his first PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines as a 17-year-old amateur, but didn’t earn his tour card until 2006, several years after graduating from UNLV .
Hoffman won his first PGA Tour title at this event in 2007, holding off John Rollins in the playoffs on a windy weekend with freezing temperatures. It was a celebrity pro-am known at the time as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, a West Coast landmark frequently played by Hollywood stars and U.S. presidents.
Hoffman hasn’t won since 2016, but he’s feeling good after years of back problems, including two fragmented drives three years ago. He returned to contention Friday with an eventful second round with two bogeys and two eagles, and he is grateful to be healthy enough to play with the aggression necessary to take on the younger long hitters in this event.
“I have a great chiropractor at home, a good golf coach (and a) good team that I’ve built,” Hoffman said. “Don’t put too much emphasis on training anymore. Don’t play too many events in a row. I’m probably spending more time in the gym to stay healthy and recover than I’m not working on golf anymore, because… that old dog probably won’t learn any new shots, but if I’m healthy I can always hit the right one. those. »
Hoffman knows he could have already stepped back and spent less time away from his wife and two daughters – an absence he considers the hardest part of his job. The whole family is gathered in Palm Springs this week, and everyone else is attending equestrian events in Thermal, California.
“So they spend money and I try to make money,” he said with a smile.
But Hoffman isn’t ready to be a full-time horse dad, or expect to win PGA Tour champions in less than two years. He is determined to make the most of his remaining time in the spotlight.
“The competition is fun,” Hoffman said. “I like walking down the fairways and guys are like, ‘How old are you?’ (I say) “I’m 48,” and they kind of look at you, what, you’re 48 here, are you still playing? And at this time when we are going to 100 players nowguys playing at 48 on the PGA Tour are a thing of the past. I don’t think you’ll see that much for much longer on the PGA Tour. But I’m going to try to fight here as long as I can.
Rickie Fowler entered contention with 10 birdies and a second-round 62 over Nicklaus, putting him even with Justin Thomas and Nick Taylor, Sony Open champion at 13-under 131. Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris and Doug Ghim were 12-under.
First round leader, JT Poston fell in the rankings with a 4-over 76 on the Stadium Course.
Hoey, who grew up 80 miles away in Rancho Cucamonga and played at the University of Southern California, is seeking his first victory in his second full year on the PGA Tour. He’s been playing courses around Palm Springs since he was 5 years old and Nicklaus is one of his favorites.
“I’ve played a lot of junior events here, so it feels like home,” Hoey said. “It’s great. The weather is great, so we don’t really have any difficult conditions with the wind and everything else. This made scoring much easier. …I’m always kind of struck by a lot of these guys, Hoffman, Cantlay, Rickie and so on. For me, it’s really cool to get my name out there and follow them, so that’s all I’m trying to do.”
___
AP Golf: https://apnews.com/golf
