Players should prepare for rough ride at TPC Scottsdale
By Special to PGATOUR.com
Players in this year's FBR Open had better bring their best game to the PGA TOUR's TPC Scottsdale, where firm, fast fairways, twisting greens and 72 deep, strategically-placed bunkers put a premium on accuracy and where legendary crowds of raucous fans necessitate superhero-like concentration.
Named one of the "Top 10 Public Golf Courses in Arizona" by Golf Digest and among the "Top 50 Golf and Resort Destinations in the World" by Conde Nast Traveler, TPC Scottsdale's par-71, 7,216-yard layout was designed in 1987 by the prolific design team of Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, expressly to serve as the new home of the FBR Open (then known as the Phoenix Open) -- the largest spectator golf event in the world, and the most successful charity event on the PGA TOUR.
Every year since, more than 500,000 fans spread out along the ample trademark spectator mounding to witness history-making moments by the world's greatest players. Among the most memorable are the double eagle made by Tom Pernice Jr. on the 15th hole in 1990; Phil Mickelson's sudden death playoff win over Justin Leonard in 1996; and Tiger Woods' infamous 9-iron for an ace at the 159-yard 16th hole in the third round in 1997, dubbed by national media as "The Shot Heard Round The World" for the uproarious response it drew from the packed gallery of more than 10,000 fans. Millions more witnessed the shot on network TV in what has become one of golf's most often seen replays.
While meandering over several hundred acres of native desert, the Stadium Course features only 110 acres of irrigated land. Lush, green parcels of manicured turf are woven throughout a rugged tapestry of arroyos, saguaro cacti and other natural features. The front nine offers many defining moments, with the first significant challenge getting past the fairway bunkers on the long, par-5 third hole and crossing over the creek to the elevated green. The par-3 12th hole is similarly daunting, as is the 13th hole, where a natural desert island divides the fairway.
The finishing stretch features a quartet of high risk-reward beauties that will undoubtedly determine the winner on Sunday. Eagles and birdies are possible down the stretch, but bogeys and double bogeys are more likely.
No. 15 is a scenic, reachable par 5 that plays 552 yards from the back tees and 515 from the lower tee. Water runs along the left side, with a stunning island green. When the tees are on the lower box, most players will go for it in two shots. When the tees are on the upper box, some players will opt for three shots -- especially the shorter hitters. At the 2006 FBR Open, J.B. Holmes played the hole from 552 yards with a 3-wood off the tee, and then a 4-iron to the green. He proceeded to make an eagle. His closest competitor made a bogey, and he cruised to his first PGA TOUR victory. Players can hear the roar of the crowd on No. 16, so the timing of when they play their shot will be critical. (You don't want to start your swing when the crowd is booing a player on the 16th.)
No. 16, TPC Scottsdale's most famous hole and by far the rowdiest on the course, is a 162-yard par 3 with a large green surrounded by five bunkers. What makes this hole so daunting is the sheer magnitude -- and decibel level -- of the gallery. Players enter through a tunnel and are greeted with cheers, college fight songs and national anthems. Bleacher seating with a capacity for 15,000 wraps around the tee box and along the fairway, with equally boisterous crowds surrounding the green. The roar from the 16th can be heard through much of the back nine, so players are already thinking about this hole from the moment they take the course.
No. 17 is a drivable, 332-yard par 4 widely considered among the best holes to play in the state of Arizona. The hole can be driven from the tee, but danger lurks with water and sand. At the 2001 Phoenix Open, Andrew Magee took the perilous bunkers and water out of play as he drove the green to record the only par 4 double eagle in the history of the PGA TOUR. His tee shot deflected off Tom Byrum's putter and rolled about 8 feet directly into the hole as Byrum was squatting down to look over his putt.
No. 18 is a 438-yard par 4 with a drive over a lake, a deep bunker guarding the right side of the green and a large slope spilling off the left side of the putting surface. And if the hazards weren't enough, the upwards of 50,000 fans surrounding the putting surface make this one of the tournament's most dramatic holes to watch. More than a few Phoenix Opens and FBR Opens have been decided here by one last-gasp putt.
Despite so many daunting design elements, the Stadium Course is very playable -- making the FBR Open enormously exciting for both fans and players alike. Just ask Mark Calcavecchia, who set PGA TOUR records during the 2001 Phoenix Open for the most birdies in a 72-hole tournament (32) and the lowest four-round total of 28-under-par 256, breaking the 46-year old mark held by Mike Souchak, en route to winning his third title in this event.
But the real record-setting in 2008 will most certainly be for attendance. With golf competition by the best players in the world, complemented by a week-long series of events including pro-ams, live entertainment, the added spectacle of Fox Sports Network's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" taping live at the Coors Light Bird's Nest, and Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 3 -- the same day as the final round of the tournament, crowds should be at an all-time high when the FBR Open tees off on Monday, Jan. 28. The event benefits hundreds of charities throughout Arizona, through the efforts of The Thunderbirds.
TPC Scottsdale is located at 17020 North Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information, please call (480) 585-4334 or visit www.tpc.com/scottsdale. To purchase FBR Open tickets or for tournament information, please visit www.FBROpen.com.
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