LA QUINTA, Calif. — Charlie Hoffman knows his time on the PGA Tour is running out. He has felt each of his 48 years every time his troublesome back develops, and he knows the recent decline in tour cards will end most players’ careers before they reach his age.
But Hoffman’s swing wasn’t over yet.
Back home in Southern California, he battled to a tie for the lead Friday in the American Express Championship, a tournament he won 18 years ago — determined to keep fighting until time runs out.
“When I’m healthy and the weather is warm, I feel like I can beat anyone in the world,” Huffman said with a laugh. “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 Hoy both shot 9-under 63 on the Nicklaus Championship Course and are tied for the lead after two rounds in the Coachella Valley desert.
Hoffman and Hoy were at 16-under 128 midway through the three-course tournament, although the two Southern California natives have yet to play the PGA West’s more difficult Pete Dye Stadium course. They finished ahead of Justin Lower, Mark Hubbard and Sepp Straka. Jason Day and JJ Spaun were at 14 under.
Hoffman is seeking his fifth victory and 517th career start. The San Diego native played his first PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines as a 17-year-old, but didn’t earn it until 2006, a few years after graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Get your own tour card.
Hoffman won his first PGA Tour title at the event in 2007, defeating John Rollins in a playoff on a windy, sub-freezing weekend. ). It was a celebrity pro-am event then known as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, a West Coast landmark frequented by Hollywood stars and U.S. presidents.
Hoffman hasn’t won since 2016, but he’s feeling good after years of back problems, notably two disc fragments three years ago. He returned to contention Friday with a brilliant second round that featured two bogeys and two eagles, and he said he’s grateful he was able to stay healthy and compete against the young sluggers in this tournament. Counterbalance the aggression required.
“I have a great chiropractor at home, I have a great golf coach [and a] I built a good team,” said Hoffman. “Stop putting too much pressure on practice. Don’t play too many events in a row. I probably spend more time in the gym staying healthy and recovering than I do playing golf because… this old dog probably won’t Learning any new shot, but if I’m healthy, I can still hit it well.
Hoffman knows he could have taken a step back and spent less time with his wife and two daughters — which he calls the hardest part of the job. The whole family gathered in Palm Springs this week, and others attended equestrian events in nearby California Hot Springs.
“So they’re spending money and I’m trying to make money,” he said with a laugh.
But Hoffman isn’t ready to be a full-time horse dad or to expect to win a PGA Tour title in less than two years. He is determined to make the most of the time he has left and step into the spotlight.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Huffman said. “I love walking down the fairway and people will ask, ‘How old are you?’ [I say] “I’m 48,” and they look at you like, what, you’re 48 and still playing? In this day and age, when we hit 100 players, 48-year-old players playing on the PGA Tour are a thing of the past. I don’t think you’ll see that on the PGA Tour for that long anymore. But I will fight here as long as I can.
Rickie Fowler had 10 birdies on the Nicklaus Course for a second-round 62 to join Justin Thomas and Sony Open champion Nick Taylor at 13-under 131. Cantlay, Will Zalatoris and Doug Jim finished at 12 under.
First-round leader JT Poston shot a 4-over 76 on the course course and plummeted off the leaderboard.
Hoy, who grew up 80 miles away in Rancho Cucamonga and excelled at the University of Southern California, is chasing his first win in his second full season on the PGA Tour. He has been playing golf courses near Palm Springs since he was 5 years old, and Nicklaus Course is one of his favorite courses.
“I’ve played a lot of junior games here, so it feels like home,” Hoy said. “It was great. The weather was great so we didn’t have too many tough conditions like wind and stuff like that. It made scoring a lot easier… I’m still fascinated by a lot of these guys. , for me, Hoffman, Cantlay, Ricky, etc., it’s really cool to put my name out there and keep up with them, so that’s all I want to do.
