By Georgia Maloney
Communications Intern

After his death in 2003 at age 100, CNN referred to Bob Hope as "one of America's most famous amateur golfers." Although Hope was never a professional golfer like the majority of the members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, he was certainly just as committed to the sport. Hope's best-known golf accomplishment was hosting the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, a popular tournament that continues to bear his name today.

Bob Hope plays in one of many golf events.

Hope was born in 1903 in England, and given the name Leslie Townes Hope. The Hope family relocated to the United States when he was just four years old. Hope began touring the vaudeville circuit in the mid-1920s and adopted "Bob" as his stage name in 1928.

While on the Vaudeville Orpheum Circuit in 1930, Hope often saw some of his fellow performers leaving the hotel with golf clubs and one day decided to join them, thus beginning a life-long hobby. After working with Ben Hogan to bring down his handicap, Hope played in the 1951 British Amateur at Royal Porthcawl, but fell in the first round of match play, 2 and 1.

The Palm Springs Golf Classic began in 1960 and included a pro-am which featured a slew of celebrities, among them Hope. In 1965, the tournament became the Bob Hope Desert Classic and 20 years later, the name changed again when Chrysler became the title sponsor. The event has a unique format, where competitors play 90 holes over a five-day period. It was first televisted in 1961 and is credited for making golf popular to the general public in the 1960s. The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic draws the TOUR's biggest field every year with 136 pros and nearly 400 amateurs participating. The event has been called "golf's best celebrity pro-am event," and has raised $44 million since 1960, which has benefited more than 70 charities.

Over the course of his 80-year career, Hope was the recipient of more than 1,500 awards, four of which were golf related. These accolades include: the Old Tom Morris Award given by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the Golf Writer's Gold Tee Award, a silver cup from Sports Illustrated honoring his fifth hole in one, and a medal from the PGA which hailed him as "one of three men who have done the most for golf."

Bob Hope was an incredible entertainer, philanthropist and recreational golfer who saw the sport as much more than just a hobby. He once even went as far as to say, "Golf is my profession, entertainment is just a sideline. I tell jokes to pay my greens fees."