Week 4 Approach Shots: FBR Open

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HERE COMES PHIL, HEAR THEM ROAR: Only once in his career has Phil Mickelson made his season debut at the FBR Open. That happened in 2003, when he tied for ninth. Mickelson kicks off his 2009 campaign at this week's FBR Open, a tournament he has played 18 consecutive times, winning in 1996 and 2005.

Quick Facts

WHAT: Fourth of 37 regular-season PGA TOUR events WHEN: Jan. 29-Feb. 1 WHERE: Scottsdale, Ariz. COURSE: TPC Scottsdale TV: 4 p.m. ET, Thursday-Friday on GOLF CHANNEL; 1 p.m. Saturday-Sunday on GOLF CHANNEL, 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday on CBS RADIO: 2 p.m.-9 p.m. ET, Thursday-Friday; 12 noon-8 p.m. Saturday; 12 noon-12 midnight; PGA TOUR Network (XM 146/SIRIUS 209) WHAT'S AT STAKE: $6,000,000 purse ($1,080,000 for winner) FEDEXCUP POINTS: 500 for winner KEY LINKS: Tee times | Leaderboard SHOT TRACKER | Tournament page VIDEO: Opening Shot

In his career, Mickelson, who attended Arizona State University in nearby Tempe, has amassed $2,455,813 in earnings from the event at TPC Scottsdale. A year ago, Mickelson lost in a playoff to J.B. Holmes, the ninth time he has finished in the top 10.

SPEAKING OF J.B.: Holmes has shown during his two FBR Open victories that he can win at TPC Scottsdale regardless of the scenario. During his first victory (in 2006) Holmes routed the field, defeating J.J. Henry, Steve Lowery, Ryan Palmer, Scott Verplank and Camilo Villegas by seven strokes. Last year, in picking up his second FBR Open title in three years, Holmes outlasted Phil Mickelson in the aforementioned one-hole playoff.

Holmes, who became the latest player to win his first two PGA TOUR titles at the same event, goes for his third victory when he defends his title this week. Several past champions are in the field besides Holmes and Mickelson. The other champions are Tommy Armour III, Paul Azinger, Aaron Baddeley, Mark Calcavecchia, Chris DiMarco, Jonathan Kaye, Tom Lehman, Rocco Mediate and Jesper Parnevik.

Holmes has played two events this season, tying for 29th at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and missing the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He is tied for 77th in the FedExCup standings.

PLAYER NOTES: Five former Arizona State Sun Devils are playing in this week's FBR Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., not far from the Tempe campus. The Sun Devils competing this week are Billy Mayfair, Mickelson, Pat Perez, Jeff Quinney and Chez Reavie.

Fifteen of the 24 participants in the 2007 Presidents Cup are playing in this week's FBR Open. The U.S. team is represented by Woody Austin, Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, Charles Howell III, Zach Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Mickelson, Steve Stricker, David Toms and Scott Verplank. Players from the International team competing at TPC Scottsdale are Stuart Appleby, Angel Cabrera, Geoff Ogilvy, Rory Sabbatini and Mike Weir. From the winning 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team, 10 of the 12 players are competing: Chad Campbell, Cink, Ben Curtis, Holmes, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Mahan, Mickelson, Kenny Perry and Stricker.

Perez earned his first PGA TOUR title when he captured last week's 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. Perez is playing in Arizona this week, not far from where he attended college at Arizona State. Yet, Perez has never had much success at the FBR Open. Until last year, Perez had never made the cut in six previous appearances. In 2008, he tied for 43rd and had two of the four sub-70 scores he's had in the event (69-65 in the first and second rounds before finishing with a 75-71 weekend showing).

ON-COURSE OBSERVATIONS: PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers is on the scene at TPC Scottsdale for this week's satellite radio coverage (XM 146/SIRIUS 209). Reports Albers:

It seems like this golf course always sets up for a long hitter. Last year, J.B. Holmes just attacked the golf course. The 18th hole measures 443 yards. It's 300 to carry the water. It's 310 to carry the bunker in front of the water. And he had no problem clearing both. He had just a wedge into his final hole, and he birdied the hole to enter a playoff then birdied again to win.

It always takes a little time to adjust your eye to a desert golf course like this because the fairways are overseeded with rye grass, and they're bright green. The rough is just dormant bermuda so the fairways are very distinguished. Sometimes you look at it, and the fairways seem very tight, but that's just because there's such a differential line between the bright green of the fairway and the dormant brown of the rough. I think it takes a little while to get your sight line down.

Of course, you have to talk about the 16th hole. It's totally enclosed this year with stands all around it. There will be 20,000 people there, and you go through a tunnel to get to it and through a tunnel to exit. There are some tournaments on TOUR that draw 20,000 people for the entire day, and they'll have 20,000 people just on a single hole here. It's truly a stadium now --totally enclosed with stands. It will a raucous affair.

Weather forecast for FBR Open

THURSDAY, Rd. 1 FRIDAY, Rd. 2 SATURDAY, Rd. 3 SUNDAY, Rd. 4 Sunny Temp: 72 high/40 low Sunny Temp: 75 high/43 low Sunny Temp: 76 high/44 low Mostly sunny Temp: 75 high/44 low

DTN/Meteorlogix is the official weather provider of the PGA TOUR. For more information, click here

FBR Open snippets

Count on Calc: Mark Calcavecchia won here three times and has nine top 10s. He's been in the 60s in 49 of 78 rounds and has seven rounds of 64 or less, including a 60 in '01. That year, he broke the TOUR's long-standing, 72-hole scoring mark with a 256. (Which Tommy Armour III broke at the '03 Valero Texas Open.) Going low: There have been three rounds of 60 shot at TPC Scottsdale recorded by Grant Waite, Calcavecchia and Phil Mickelson. The only other course in TOUR history to surrender three rounds of 60 is Brackenridge Park, the old home of the Valero Texas Open. Double up in the desert: The FBR Open has produced a number of multiple winners in its history. A total of 13 players have won the event more than once with Arnold Palmer, Gene Littler and Calcavecchia leading the way with three wins each. Comeback alert: David Duval's 14-under effort last week was the most under par he's been in a tournament since he finished 25 under at the 2002 Las Vegas Invitational. Look for him again this week.

In the spotlight

This week: J.B. Holmes

Each week during the 2009 season, PGATOUR.COM will spotlight one key player in the field. For this week's FBR Open, it's J.B. Holmes, the defending champion who won this tournament for the second time in his young career last year. Learn more about J.B.

KODAK CHALLENGE: The first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players continues at the FBR Open.

The Kodak Challenge celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR. The Kodak Challenge offers $1 million to the winner There will be one designated Kodak Challenge Hole at 24 different PGA TOUR tournaments in 2008, with this week's featured hole the infamous 162-yard 16th hole.

Players, who must play at least 18 of the holes during the season to be eligible, will count their lowest score relative to par on the Kodak Challenge Hole made during an official competition round. The player, with the lowest cumulative score in relation to par at the end of the challenge, wins.

For more on the Kodak Challenge, click here.