Stars Lining up For 48th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

In his first year as host of the event, George Lopez will have some new celebrity buddies to play golf and joke with at the 48th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic January 16-21, 2007.

A desert tradition since 1960, early celebrity participants for the 2007 Classic include: Yogi Berra, Michael Bolton, Glen Campbell, Roger Clemens, Alice Cooper, Carson Daly, Tom Dreesen, Andy Garcia, Huey Lewis, Lopez, Cheech Marin, Ed Marinaro, Craig T. Nelson, Ray Romano, Kurt Russell and Sterling Sharpe.

This will be the first appearance in the Classic for Garcia, Lewis and Romano. Garcia is a star of television and films who was nominated for an Academy Award for The Godfather Part II; Lewis is a Grammy-winning singer, musician and actor; and Romano is an Emmy Award-winning actor and comedian for the long-running series “Everybody Loves Raymond.” A complete list of celebrities will be announced in January.

The celebrity field's schedule is as follows: Wednesday, January 17, Bermuda Dunes Country Club; Thursday, January 18, La Quinta Country Club; Friday, January 19, Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West; Saturday, January 20, Classic Club, which is the Classic's host site for the second time.

Joining the celebrities will be a professional field headed up by defending champion Chad Campbell.

All five days of The Classic will be televised for the first time on The Golf Channel. At stake is a purse of $5 million, with $900,000 to the winner.

In 47 years, the tournament has donated more than $43 million to local charities throughout the Coachella Valley. Tickets are priced at $25 per day, with several packages offering additional savings. Further details are available at www.bhcc.com or by calling 888/MRBHOPE (672.4673).