1. Arnold Palmer has been named the host of the 2009 incarnation of the ailing Bob Hope Classic, a tournament he won five times. It's supposedly a one-year deal, since Palmer already hosts a big-money invitational in Orlando in March. What else can be done to fix the weakest tournament on the West Coast portion of the schedule?
Steve Elling	Ross Devonport
The question being asked by about 30 different tournament directors every year is, "What can we do to make this a top-tier event without Tiger Woods in our field?" Well, the Hope has fallen off so abruptly, they can't get Phil Mickelson to return. With Ernie Els and Woods skipping the West Coast events almost completely, it's a tough fix, but the Hope has been around forever and deserves salvation. Players have grumbled about the courses in the rotation, which ironically include three designed by Palmer's firm, so that's where I'd start. As is the case with the newly revamped course at the Byron Nelson event, the courses draw the horses. As for the future, would Bill Murray consider the permanent host position? Now that's something I'd watch.	What happened to George Lopez? His sharp wit too much? I'm disappointed in this decision because I like Lopez and the whole comedic connection was a nice tradition in this event. I don't see how Arnie hosting another event will really raise this one's profile, to be honest. No player really WANTS to play a five-rounder with a bunch of amateurs held on pretty weak courses. Of course, with Arnie now hosting, no one's going to say anything about the courses next year. The real problem with this event is its spot on the schedule, but with the big names these days limiting their schedules basically around the majors, WGC events and the FedEx Cup playoffs, there aren't many prime spots available. Maybe turn it into a stableford or something, who knows.

2. Here's one tailored just for you two. Since Ross and Steve each have had new additions to the family unit in the past few months, and Doral winner Geoff Ogilvy's wife has had two kids in a recent 15-month span, do you think having a family can help a professional?
Steve Elling	Ross Devonport
Ogilvy has always been a fairly animated guy, and he seemed a bit subdued last week, even after he won. Maybe it's because he has been traveling with his family, which includes two kids under age 2. That's a lot of nocturnal wakeup calls. Tiger Woods was stewing about ending his second round at Doral last week with a three-putt -- until he saw his daughter. "Until Sam came crawling, and then I don't even know what I shot after that," he said, touching on the topic of his daughter without prompting, "That's one of the cool things about when I go home." For players like Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Billy Casper -- Hall of Famers who all had kids in droves -- it gave them better balance in their lives. Woods says exactly the same thing, and it isn't like he's been slumping since his daughter was born last year, is it? As for other walks of life, whether Ross' writing has perked up, sleep deprivation or not, that's for you readers to decide.	Two kids in 15 months ... yoiks. The Ogilvys must really enjoy changing poopy diapers or something. Mine is only eight months old and I can't wait for the day he can wipe his own butt. I'll need at least three years just to get that smell out of my house! I think having kids certainly helps center you, but it also causes plenty of lost hours of sleep. I have sleep apnea anyway, so it doesn't bother me too much to be honest, but I'm sure it affects everyone differently to be woken up every few hours or so. Once they get sleeping through the night though and are able to look after themselves a bit more, it gets a lot easier, and as Tiger says, you look forward to seeing your family more than anything else. Of course, once they get walking, you almost have a second job when you get home to make sure they don't get themselves in any trouble. That gig surely makes things like playing golf for a living feel even easier than they already are. As for my writing perking up, don't hold your breath.

3. You guys were both on the grounds last week for the World Golf Championships event in Miami. Is there anything that can be done to make it more exciting, since the fan buzz doesn't seem to reflect the product on the green grass? Miami's WGC stop in particular has fallen off from the vibe that once emanated from the now-defunct Ford Championship.
Steve Elling	Ross Devonport
Given the tournament had a purse of $8 million, that truly is a million-dollar query. No question, many golf fans don't understand where the WGC series even fits in, or that it's different from the traditional tour stop. Elite or not, smaller fields (Miami had 79) don't help, since fans would probably rather watch veterans like Bob Tway or Paul Azinger than an unknown pro from an Indonesian or Japanese circuit. Frankly, daily ticket WGC prices of $55 are double the ducats at regular tour stops, which doesn't help either. If I had a say in the affair, I'd add more players, move the event around to various sites and implement a cut. Nothing breeds boredom, if not tedium, like watching a bunch of tour players going through the motions with a guaranteed check already assured. It's all reward and no risk, and that's anti-golf, a game that is supposed to be the ultimate meritocracy.	I followed Tiger for 18 holes Friday at Doral, and I was certainly a little disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm in the gallery. As you say, Steve, I think it's just a big combination of things contributing to this mess. Fifty-five bucks is a hell of a lot of money to shell out in this economic climate, especially to watch Tiger and a bunch of limited-personality guys and no-name foreigners go around a course that has little, if any, personality itself for 17 holes. Plus, March Madness began last weekend and I know the majority of South Florida sports fans would rather stay at home and watch those great games than head out to Doral in 80-plus degrees. And as my boss just mentioned, does any WGC event apart from the Accenture really have much of a buzz? Anyway, the main reason to me that this event sucks is that the best regular PGA Tour events are those that the local community really takes some pride in, and Miami doesn't give a flying F about the CA. It's always been a bad sports town and always will be.

Shotgun Start: Saving Bob Hope? kiddie boost; Miami malaise?