No. 16 is the place to be  PGATOUR.com Contributor SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- "Every rock star wants to be an athlete. Every athlete wants to be a rock star. The stage is yours. Welcome to the 16th of the FBR Open." Those are the words on the sign that greets the players as they make their way under the grandstand to the 16th tee at the TPC Scottsdale. There is no other hole like it in golf. Imagine 30,000 frantic golf fans surrounding a 170-yard par 3. Over the years the grandstands have grown, and the hole has become legendary.  There's no doubt about it -- No. 16 is the place to be at the FBR Open. (Feldman/WireImage)
The cheers start for the players as soon as they emerge from the tunnel. The college kids who occupy the stands left of the tee chant for virtually every group. The only thing that I can compare the scene to is a Duke-Carolina basketball game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. A favorite chant is for the ageless Fred Funk. When he comes through the tunnel, they start with "funk you, funk you, funk you." Of course, Fred, like most of the PGA TOUR players, enjoys the scene. They all agree that they wouldn't want to play a hole like this every week, but once a year it is a blast. A player knows if he hits a good shot he is going to hear the loudest cheer of his life. If you hit a bad shot on No. 16 though, watch out. David Berganio missed the green left in a closely mown run-off area during the second round. The shot was booed, and then things got ugly. His first attempt to chip the ball onto the green came up short and the ball rolled back to his feet. To add insult to injury so did the next couple of attempts. The massive -- and well-lubricated gallery, I might add -- implored David to putt the ball up on the green. When his putt crested the hill onto the green the roar of applause was nothing if not tongue-in-cheek. As David left the green with a 7 someone from the gallery yelled, "walk it off." David smiled, taking the whole incident in stride. Anything goes at the 16th. On Friday, under sunny skies and perhaps partly cloudy leadership, the wave was attempted several times. The success of the wave depends on the participation of the corporate boxes. When the fans in the boxes don't participate, they are rebuked by the rest of the crowd. There are golf courses and tournaments with ambiance and even milieu, but there are none with the atmosphere that you find in Scottsdale at the FBR Open. Years ago there were other holes at other tournaments that rivaled the crowd and scene at the 16th, but they are a thing of the past. The 17th hole at the old GGO -- now the Wyndham Championship -- once was a party hole. In high school I used to skip school just to go sit there and have a beverage. (Please don't tell my mom). Well-oiled fans used to place bets on whether balls would find the green. But changes to the skyboxes and bleachers have turned that hole into just another par 3. While other tournaments have tried to rein in the rowdiest of fans, though, the Thunderbirds (who host the FBR Open) have gone the other direction. They have created the greatest, loudest and most memorable annual golf party on the planet. If you are a traditionalist or a golf purist, you might look down your nose a little at the 16th this week. Remember, most players on TOUR are traditionalist as well, regardless of the pants they wear. But they also like the idea of being a rock star if only for a moment. This ain't your daddy's PGA TOUR -- at least, not this week. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
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