By Bill Huffman
Special to PGATOUR.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There is no other tournament on the PGA TOUR quite like the FBR Open, where the 72-hole chase for the $5.2 million purse oftentimes takes a backseat to the party.

But even by this tournament's standards, the latest version was off the charts, especially attendance-wise. When the turnstiles finally quit spinning like a roulette wheel on Sunday afternoon, a record number estimated at 536,767 fans had visited the Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale. (The previous mark was 529,210 in 2002).

Mike Haenel, the tournament chairman for the Phoenix Thunderbirds, the civic organization that sponsors the event, called this year's turnout "a tribute to our fans' loyalty."

"We had wonderful weather (70 to 80 degrees each day), a great leaderboard filled with a nice mix of established veterans and young guns, and 4,000 volunteers that poured their hearts and souls into this event along with the Thunderbirds,'' Haenel said. "And because of all of our hundreds of thousands of fans, we're certain to break our all-time donation to charity.

"And how about our champ, J.B. Holmes? If I had to bet, I'd say a star was born."

The groundswell began slowly but surely, with the FBR-Xerox Silver Pro-Am on Wednesday drawing 54,036. Believe it or not, Wednesday's gathering was not a record (58,199 showed up in 1998).

That Wednesday tally was fueled by the first-ever appearance of Bill Murray. The comedian-actor was at his Caddyshack best with a performance that would have made even his "Cinderella-story" character, Carl Spackler, proud.

In fact, Murray's chip-in for par at the 16th hole might have drawn the biggest roar of the week from the crew that, over the years, has created "the rowdiest hole in golf." Or as one 16th hole pundit put it after watching Murray's theatrics: "That's the loudest response I've heard at this hole since Tiger Woods aced it (in 1997)."

Murray also was the guest emcee at the Birds Nest on Wednesday night, and he was a perfect fit. Another 10,000 fans attended "the Nest" each night, with only a fire-department edict keeping the number from going higher.

After "only" 77,234 showed up for Thursday's opening round, record numbers came on Friday (117,540) and Saturday (168,337). And when 82,150 turned out Sunday -- what Super Bowl? -- to watch Holmes emerge as the champion, that eclipsed the previous record for the week of 529,210 set in 2002.

Even Holmes was totally impressed with what he had witnessed.

"I really enjoyed 'em," said the 23-year-old, who kept acknowledging the crowd like a rock star, including high-fives on the final hole. "It's so very exciting; something I've never seen before."

"As soon as you hit a shot, they start yelling. It's just a phenomenal experience playing before them, even if I had to use blinders at times to zone them out."

Last year, the Thunderbirds set the bar in the Valley of the Sun with $5.8 million contributed to over 100 local charities. But this year's turnout coupled with record corporate sponsorships means that the FBR Open might also set a new standard on the PGA TOUR.

"I believe that last year the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which sponsors the EDS Bryon Nelson (Championship), raised $6.1 million,'' Haenel reported. "With what's happened here this week at the FBR Open, I think we'll exceed that in 2006.

"If that turns out to be a PGA TOUR record, well, that would be great. The ultimate compliment for all the hard work that goes into our event.''

Fans file past the clubhouse at the FBR Open. (Badz/PGA TOUR/ WireImage)

What's especially impressive about the FBR Open's success in recent years is that despite occasional crowd-control problems throughout the years, the last five tournaments have been without incident, an amazing feat considering the FBR Open is the PGA TOUR's most well-attended event.

Which partially explains why approximately 15 tournament directors from other PGA TOUR events attended this past week's FBR Open, Haenel said.

"They were here to see how we do it. How we seamlessly get all these people in and out of the course like clockwork. And how we manage to mix watching great golf with having a good time.

"It's not magic, but it is magical when you can get this kind of community support and cooperation for a golf tournament that the Thunderbirds like to refer to as 'The Greatest Show on Grass.'"

It is an amazing success story that dates back to 1987, when the Thunderbirds in conjunction with the PGA TOUR and the City of Scottsdale had the vision to move the tournament from Phoenix Country Club in the heart of the city to the outskirts of suburbia.

That first year, their efforts drew 186,000 fans. But those numbers have climbed steadily to the point that, in four of the past five years, over 500,000 fans for the week have attended.

"The growth over the 20 years has been unbelievable,'' Haenel said with a big smile. "In fact, I've got to borrow a line from Bill Murray: 'It's a Cinderella story.'"