Phoenix Open Is All About the Fans
Grab the cooler and the beer helmets we’re going to watch some golf! That’s right it’s time for that one week of the year where the game goes from a classy gentleman’s hobby to a college frat party. It’s the annual trip to Scottsdale for the Waste Management Phoenix Open where golf claps are replaced by a football like atmosphere. It’s fun, it’s different and a party that all golf fans want to crash. For one week it’s a game that the whole world can identify with because everybody likes a party.
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I love golf and I’m watching it every weekend no matter what but let’s get real here, the week to week grind of the tour has its boring parts. That’s just the way it is and it happens in all sports. Unless you’re one of the four majors the average tour event can be overlooked sometimes unless you do something to stand out. At the Phoenix Open they don’t just stand out, they stand up and scream at the top of their lungs. The famed 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is transformed into golf’s loudest arena where all the rules of decorum go out the window. Fans drink beer; a lot of beer. Land your tee shot on the green they’ll cheer, miss it they’ll boo. Make a birdie and it may sound like your favorite team scored a winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. For the players all of a sudden you go from a fifteen hole walk in the park to being in Yankee Stadium.
Why is this so special? That’s because for once it’s all about the fans. In a world where sports can sometimes be all about the money, it’s the fans that are often overlooked. At least for one weekend in the desert, they are front and center. Sure the players swing the club but they do that sixty plus times each round. It’s that one swing on the 16th tee that sticks out because once that ball is in the air, Animal House breaks out. The fans make the Phoenix Open stand out in its own unique way.
In a game where iconic holes are everywhere, nothing compares to the atmosphere at the 16th. Take the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, it’s about will your ball end up wet or dry. How about the 12 at Augusta? You never know how the wind will blow. When it comes to the 16th at TPC Scottsdale it’s not about the wind or the water, it’s all about us. The hole itself would just be your average run of the mill par three. You drop a stadium on top of it and it’s special. A player on the tee isn’t nervous about water or keeping major hopes alive. They just want to give the crowd a reason to cheer.
"“The 16th in the last 15 years has turned into an iconic symbol hole. It’s kind of like when you mention Sawgrass. Everybody thinks about the 17th hole. I think that’s what we’ve sort of developed here with the 16th hole.” Alex Clark, Tournament Chairman (Credit ESPN)"
This week in Phoenix there are plenty of things that can steal the headlines, and I’m not even thinking about that little football game in town. Tiger’s back, Phil’s still trying to find his way, there’s Bubba, Fowler and even Jordan Speith. It’s a field that could carry a tournament every week of the year, except this one. For once the players are playing the supporting role and the fans are front and center. Now where’s my beer, I’m ready to party!