Week 40 Approach Shots: Frys.com Open
By PGATOUR.COM Staff
Scottsdale, Ariz., is the site of the third Fall Series event, the Frys.com Open. This is the third playing of this event, which counts Mike Weir and Cameron Beckman as past champions. A year ago, Beckman outlasted Kevin Sutherland in a two-hole playoff at Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor Course. The victory was Beckman's second since he joined the TOUR in 1998, coming seven years after he won the 2001 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
Beckman has been steady this year, making 15 cuts in 23 starts. His tie for seventh at AT&T National and his tie for ninth at the John Deere Classic, in back-to-back weeks, are his best performances of 2009. Beckman qualified for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, competing in both The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship.
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LOOKING BACK: Cameron Beckman defeated Kevin Sutherland with a par-4 on the second hole of the playoff to win last year's event. Sutherland dropped to 0-3 in playoffs on the TOUR. Previously Sutherland lost to Phil Blackmar at the 1997 Shell Houston Open and was part of a three-way playoff with Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia at the 2008 Barclays, won by Singh. Nineteen players posted all four rounds in the 60s in 2008. In that group was champion Beckman (69-66-64-63). It was Beckman's first top-10 effort since he tied for fifth at the 2007 Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro. Prior to his win, he was No. 175 on the money list. In 2007, only four players managed to post four rounds in the 60s at Grayhawk Golf Club, including the winner Mike Weir.
FRYS FAVORITES: Only two players have finished inside the top 10 in the two previous Frys.com Opens. They are Mike Weir and Pat Perez. Weir shot rounds of 69-64-65-68 to defeat Mark Hensby by a stroke in 2007. He returned the following year to defend his title, eventually tying for fourth (66-68-69-63). His scoring average is 66.50. Perez tied for sixth in 2007 (66-71-67-68) and followed that with a tie for seventh in 2008 (71-66-67-63), giving him a scoring average of 67.375. Cameron Beckman, the 2008 champion, tied for 35th in 2007.
REBEL YELL: Chad Campbell nearly ended the winless streak at the Las Vegas stop by UNLV alums when he fell in a playoff last week to Martin Laird. Still, his T2 was the best-ever finish by a UNLV alum in Las Vegas.
STAR SCOT: Martin Laird may be a native of Scotland, but he has a warm place in his heart for Nevada. Last week, Laird won his first PGA TOUR title at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Earlier this year, he finished tied for second at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open and he tied for fourth at the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. When Laird won last week's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, he became the sixth consecutive first-time PGA TOUR winner of the event, joining Andre Stolz, Wes Short, Troy Matteson, George McNeill and Marc Turnesa.
CHALLENGE AWAITS: The Kodak Challenge is gearing up for its climactic finish with 12 players within three strokes of leader Kevin Streelman. With just three events remaining in the 30-tournament series, the competition that celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR continues with the 211-yard, par-three 16th hole as the featured hole at Grayhawk Golf Club. Players must play at least 18 of the 30 Kodak Challenge holes throughout the season to compete for $1 million and the Kodak Challenge title. A player's lowest score relative to par on his best 18 Kodak Challenge holes will be counted.
ON-COURSE OBSERVATIONS: PGA TOUR Network correspondent Mark Carnevale is on the scene in Scottsdale for this week's satellite radio coverage (XM 146/SIRIUS 209). Reports Carnevale:
With just three more events left in this year's schedule, players are jockeying for position to make sure they are in the top 125. Other players are trying to get in the top 150 or the top 170. It's going to be very competitive because there's a lot on the line for these players this week.
The Kodak Challenge continues with current leader Kevin Streelman in the field at the Frys.com Open. This week's hole is the par-3 16th. It's beautiful -- downhill, long, water around the green -- like an amphitheater. There may not be as much movement this week with the Challenge hole being a par 3. The leader, Streelman, planned to play all five Fall Series events, so it has been interesting, and it will continue to be that way, and exciting, as we head into the completion of the Kodak Challenge.
Most players really enjoy this golf course. It's in good shape and it's in Scottsdale, Ariz., so the weather is nice and warm. Players enjoy playing it. Frys puts on a really nice event, and everyone enjoys participating in the Frys.com Open.
I spoke to Martin Laird, last week's winner, who lives in Scottsdale. His parents had already planned a trip over from Scotland to visit, so it has been nice for him to have them here as he returned to where he now lives as a winner. He was on the range working with his instructor this week, trying to get a little better, so it proves winning doesn't equal satisfaction.
The defending champion, Cameron Beckman, was excited about coming back to a place where he has won after an up-and-down year on TOUR. Hopefully, it will get him back on the right track.
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