Villegas Envy

Even when Bob Hope was alive and quipping, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic wasn't a top-shelf PGA Tour stop. By the '80s many stars were passing on the event's cupcake courses, crazy-low scores, five-round format (four with amateur partners) and subpar practice range and parking. Sad to say, the Hope field is usually weaker than light beer.

This year, though, there's more at stake. The Hope is a crucial opportunity for alumni of Q school and the Nationwide tour to improve their sorry lots on Tour. Priority in getting into tournaments is based on experience and record, and Q schoolers and Nationwiders are at the bottom of the pecking order. It's always an uphill battle for the newbies to get into all the events they want, but this year it'll be even harder for the players at the bottom of the Tour's list.

A bumper crop at Q school--40 survivors thanks to a 12-way tie for 29th--and 22 Nationwide graduates means this could be the year of the Big Squeeze. If the FedEx Cup's $10 million bonanza does, indeed, induce players to tee it up more often, that translates into fewer starts for the little fish, some of whom may get only 15 to 18 chances. Good luck, gentlemen.

Still, the Tour won't be short of new faces. Here are some candidates for our Camilo Villegas Award, emblematic of the breakout newcomer of the year.

? Anthony Kim He has hope at the Hope because he was a local hero at nearby La Quinta High before becoming a three-time All-America at Oklahoma. Kim, 21, finagled only one sponsor's exemption after turning pro last summer and used it to tie for second at the Valero Texas Open. That top 10 got him into the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, at which he finished 16th.

? Jim Rutledge He's 47, the second-oldest rookie in Tour history. ( Allen Doyle edged him by a month.) Rutledge has six wins on the Canadian tour and one on the Nationwide. He's this year's Cinderella Man.

? Ken Duke Last year, at 37, he became the oldest player to win the Nationwide money title, which happened after he started working with instructor Bob Toski. Duke's edge? That money title exempts him into the lucrative Players Championship.

? Steve Marino A former star at the University of Virginia who played his way onto the Nationwide tour, the 26-year-old can go low--62 at Q school and 59 in a 10-shot Gateway tour victory.

? Johnson Wagner He's 26, long and straight, and he won twice on the Nationwide last year. He also finished 34th at the Sony, so he's off to a running start.

?Parker McLachlin He's won on a variety of mini-tours (Gateway, Hooters, Spanos, Tight Lies) and had five top 10s on the Nationwide last year, his rookie season. Plus there's the 27-year-old's DNA: His mom, Beth, played on the 1976 U.S. Olympic volleyball team; his dad, Chris, played basketball and volleyball at Stanford; and younger brother Spencer recently accepted a volleyball scholarship at Stanford.