Spoor's pro-am blog: Sitting at the famed 16th

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PGATOUR.com's Mark Spoor is blogging from the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during the pro-am for the FBR Open. Make sure you hit the F5 button on your computer every time to get the latest post.

FBR Open: Number Crunch | TOUR Insider | Fantasy Insider | Expert Picks | Sleeper Picks | Field | Round 1 Tee Times
FBR Open: Former Winners | Groups We're Watching: Round 1 | Explore the Course
No. 16 Video: Baddeley's thoughts on the hole | Tiger talks about his 1997 ace | Watch Tiger's ace | Regulars describe 16

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3:40 pm -- Last group is at 16 -- and it's a doozy, featuring both Vijay Singh and George Lopez, whose been getting a lot of practice lately. Singh hits his tee shot to eight feet. Lopez misses the green to the left, and gets booed lustily. George stops between shots to mug with fans and sign autographs, then chips past the hole, then settles for bogey. Singh birdies, and a sun-splashed day ends.

LIVE@ No. 16

Video: PGATOUR.com will be streaming live coverage of the 16th hole all four rounds of the FBR Open. Coverage of Round 1 runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET

3:24 pm -- Aquaman has shown up on 16. His appearance has brought about an influx of young ladies. Wait, maybe that's for his playing partner, Josh Duhamel, the star of NBC's "Las Vegas," who parred and threw his ball to an adoring female fan. Some poor husbands are being forced to take pictures of their wives with this guy. Good thing my wife isn't here.

2:09 p.m. -- Boo Weekley had the fans fired up on neighboring hole 17 -- a 332-yard par 4 -- when he put his tee shot on the green. He celebrated by throwing his arms in the air to thunderous applause.

2 p.m. -- Well, it was bound to happen. I was nearly killed by an amateur's ball. It landed inches from me on the top of the berm I am standing on.

It then rolled down the hill and onto the cartpath, where a female fan picked it up -- and was loudly booed.

The pro with this group? Boo Weekley.

What? You're surprised?

1:47 pm -- Brandt Snedeker nearly holed it, coming within about 18 inches. One of his playing partners, NFL great Emmitt Smith, also put a good swing on it and found the green.

Smith blew by the birdie putt, but settled for par.

As the clouds roll in, the temperature drops again.

1:35 p.m. - Defending champ Aaron Baddeley just came through with Joe Buck. You know, the guy who announces every sport for FOX except tiddlywinks. Not a bad effort by Buck, though I was disappointed he didn't provide his own play-by-play.

1:19 pm -- Just saw, without question, the ugliest pair of shorts I've seen on a human. Anyone who has ever seen the show, "Happy Days," think of Mr. and Mrs. C's kitchen curtains as shorts.

Go on, run to YouTube. I'll be here when you get back.

1:05 pm -- Phil Mickelson has arrived on No. 16, to easily the biggest ovation of the day. After missing a long birdie putt, one man in a skybox screamed, "Oooooooh, Phil."

Wouldn't it have been hysterical if Mickelson would have replied, "Ooooooh, Random Loud Guy?"

12:56 p.m. -- Finally got around to trying one of those Mojo pies (read down, waaaay down, the blog, please). High praise, indeed. Think of it kind of like a handheld pot pie, but a little more flavorful. I recommend the chicken and vegetable with some barbecue sauce on it.

12:48 p.m. -- Rory Sabbatini raised a few eyebrows, as he made about a 2-foot putt by hitting the ball between his legs, crocquet-style.

Next to me, a female Baby Boomer said, "Yeah. I can do that."

Yeah, me too.

12:39 p.m. -- A lot of fans standing around me were getting excited because Dennis Miller was about to come through with Hunter Mahan. As the group approached the green, anticipation turned to disappointment.

Over his ball stood Dennis Miller, not the comedian, but a 50-something executive with his company logo on his sweater.

Surprisingly, he was not booed.

12:25 p.m. -- Funny moment, particuarly in light of Super Bowl week. One of the amateurs playing with Hunter Mahan slammed his tee shot into the left greenside bunker, when a teenage kid yelled, "Must have been (Cardinals QB) Matt Leinart."

Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

12:18 p.m. -- David Toms is holding up his group. He must have signed 20 autographs and shows no signs of slowing down.

Wouldn't it be great if more athletes took that kind of time?

11:41 a.m. -- The tradition of this tournament put some strain on a relationship a minute ago. One of the amateurs in Billy Mayfair's group missed the green with his tee shot and a man behind me started to boo.

The woman he was with hit him on the arm and said, "You can't boo."

He replied, "I wasn't booing, I said 'Oooooh.'"

She didn't buy it, and the discussion continued out of earshot.

(Getty Images)

Good luck, bro. Just feel fortunate the talk didn't happen over the weekend, or it may have been caught on LIVE@.

Imagine the ridicule then.

11:33 a.m. -- I just had an "only on 16" moment. I turn around after watching former Diamondback Mark Grace hit a great bunker shot when I see a man clad in bright red Captain Hookish attire. I asked what was up, and he looked me up and down and said:

" I am Captain Morgan."

Uh ... OK.

"This is the greatest party on grass, isn't it? Why wouldn't I be here?"

Sounds logical.

11:20 a.m. -- One of the kids from The First Tee that's holding the bag for Charles Howell III during the pro-am decided to take his crack at putting. He tried about an eight-footer and just missed. He sunk the tap-in, then tipped his hat to the crowd to thunderous applause.

He's ready for his close-up.

11:06 am -- Mike Weir's team is up. A kid that looked to be 11 or so. He told his father, "I'm definitely getting his autograph."

Weir didn't see the boy, so he took matters into his own hands, running around to get the signature, which he did while walking with Weir to 17.

On the way back, the father said, "You're learning."

11:02 a.m. -- Geoff Ogilvy's group just came through. He's apparently pretty popular with the kids, as he signed what looked to be about a dozen autographs.

He was upstaged by one of his amateurs, however, who drained what looked to be about a 30-foot putt.

10:44 a.m. -- The weather has improved tremedously. It's a Chamber of Commerce day in Phoenix, and the crowd is starting to increase.

10:39 a.m. -- Calc's team has strolled to 17. They lead the pro-am so far. One of Calc's amateurs missed the green on the right, then hit it over to the left side, then finally hit the green.

A group of young guys broke out in sarcastic applause next to me.

"There ya go. At least you're better than me," one polo shirt-clad dude bellowed.

Good times.

10:08 a.m. -- An interesting little moment just happened, as Anthony Kim, surrounded by a few youngsters, gave an impromptu clinic on chip shots.

"What's the most important thing to do when you're making this shot," he asked?

Silence.

"You want to stay very still."

One of the youngsters took a shot with Kim's club. He had to flip it around because he was left handed.

Let's just say he understood the lesson.

9:57 a.m. -- The first group of the day has taken its whacks at 16. Three on the green, while one unforunate amateur found the left greenside bunker.

He heard it from the so-far modest crowd.

9:40 a.m. -- Across from the range here is a stand for a product called "Mojo Pies."

Described by the man running the stand as an "iconic Australian pie," it is described to me as a hand-held pastry filled with either chicken or beef with gravy.

Turns out Geoff Ogilvy is one of the owners of the company. He also has the logo on his bag.

Haven't tried one yet. I'll let you know.

9:28 a.m. -- Funny moment here. As I'm walking down past the 10th green, I see two girls moving an ice cream cart. The fact that they're selling ice cream when it"s 45 degrees out is funny enough, but they nearly get hit by a wayward shot by an amateur.

The driver of the ice cream cart, a girl of about 25, responds by saying, "He's got a nice approach, though."

Welcome to the FBR Open.

9:18 a.m. -- For those not familiar with the course here, the 10th green is directly behind the 16th green. The opening group of the day, led by Mark Calcavecchia, just passed there. It's interesting to see the difference between the pros and the amateurs. Calc looked as loose as you could while the amateurs looked as though they were wishing they had worn dark pants.

9:10 a.m. -- Fans are starting to file in here. I am standing on a hill looking down at the right greenside bunker. Looking up at the tee box from here, it is easy to see the character of the hole itself, with the desert motif between the tee and the green and the bunkers surrounding the green.

Speaking of the crowds, my new best friend Tom The Souvenir Guy says that even though it's a pro-am day, the crowds will be of decent size -- and rowdiness.

"They don't usually boo the amateurs too much," he said. "They just mess with them a little."

Good thing I'm not playing.

8:40 a.m. -- They have delayed the start of the pro-am here, but no worries. They actually have a merchandise tent here that specializes in 16th hole merchandise.

My personal favorite is the shirt with a glittering skull and crossbones and the words "16th hole" in Pirates of the Caribbean style. Did I mention it is a ladies shirt? I spoke for a couple minutes with Tom Smith, one of the local pros here who's manning the tent.

He's been here for five years and says he's seen some wild stuff, most of which can't be printed here. He also says the goal for the tent this week is to clear $1 million.

That's not a typo.

8:20 a.m. -- We have our first mention of ... uh .. beverages. While walking up the hill to 16, I heard a young guy, probably out of college for a few years, say to someone who looked to be his mother, "...and that's where we get beer." Guess you need to be prepared.

8:08 a.m. -- There appears to be a definite 1970s vibe as I make my way to No. 16. As I pass a stand for Corleone's (a cheesesteak joint), Bee Gees music is blaring as they prepare to feed the thousands of fans to come.

What's more, I just found out that KC and the Sunshine Band will play at the Bird's Nest (a party spot in the parking lot area) on Thursday night. So if anyone needs me Thursday, I'll be hearing "That's The way I Like It" for the 9,000th time.

7:51 a.m. -- Just made the long hike from the media parking lot to the media center. The sun's been up for a little less than an hour. So far, the weather looks good. There are some high clouds, but also plenty of blue sky. It's also cold, particularly for Arizona standards. It feels like it's in about the low 40s.

But don't worry -- it's a dry cold.