LMS SPRINGS, Calif. -- The tradition of the $3 million Bob Hope Classic is not only the legendary entertainer's name, but also its gruelling five-round format.

The 90-hole event begins Wednesday, with Fred Couples shooting for his second straight title. Couples won last year in a playoff with Bruce Lietzke after the pair tied at 28-under.

Couples is among 11 players in the field with 10 or more career victories. Leading the way is Arnold Palmer, who has 60 titles. Though the 69-year-old Palmer would need a miracle to visit the winner's circle again -- his last win on the PGA Tour came here in 1973 -- he represents the old guard that helped make this event one of the marquee tournaments.

Palmer missed this tournament only once, when he underwent prostate surgery in 1997, but he and others are more than willing to make this a stop on their schedule because of the lucrative purse. The winner will make $540,000.

In addition to the money, there is the mutual thrill of a field of stars that play alongside the professionals. Toronto Blue Jays ace Rogers Clemens, Atlanta Braves star left-hander Tom Glavine and actor Samuel L. Jackson are among those slated to attend.

Couples captured the win in 1998 after birdying the 18th hole to force a playoff with Lietzke. The win was another of Couple's normally outstanding performances at this event. He has played 15 times and finished in the top 10 on all but five of those occasions, winning a total of $693,821.

Despite continuous back problems that limited him to just 17 events last season, Couples finished ninth on the money list with more than $1.65 million.

Among his chief competitors this year is Jeff Sluman, who won the Sony Open last week. Sluman was winless from 1989-96 before winning once in each of the last three years. Now he finds himself as the early leader in earnings on the PGA with $531,050, nearly half of his 1998 total of $1,148,375.

Despite an extra 18 holes to determine the winner, this tournament has frequently come down to a playoff. This is the 40th time the Bob Hope Classic will be played, and it has been decided in a playoff 14 times -- including five straight from 1982-86.

Tom Kite won with a tournament-record 325 in 1993. Kite and the others will battle on four courses -- PGA West, Indian Wells Country Club, Bermuda Dunes CC and Tamarisk CC. Indian Wells is the shortest of the courses, measuring 6,478 Yards.

The Arnold Palmer Course at PGA West is the host course.

The PGA Tour moves to the Arizona desert next week for the Phoenix Open.