College Player Phoenix Open Funny Swing
Somewhere in a quiet corner of the locker room at TPC Scottsdale there might be a player who doesn't enjoy the famously boisterous atmosphere at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, who loathes the beer-fueled histrionics at the 16th hole, who would rather go about his craft in the more traditional, cathedral-like environments of the PGA Tour.
But if such a player does in fact exist, he's not about to admit it in public.
Those who dislike the vibe in Phoenix vote with their feet and stay home. Paul Casey, an Arizona State standout who lives in Scottsdale, hasn't teed it up in this tournament since 2004. Those who do show up know for what they have signed up, which explains why everyone interviewed after Thursday's opening round was unfailingly complimentary about the fans, even the braying mob at 16 who boo mediocre shots and sometimes even good ones, depending on who hits it. To say otherwise would be akin to attending a MAGA rally in a Hillary hat.
The savvy guys on the PGA Tour know how to make a winning gesture that gets the crowd on their side. This week Jon Rahm is wearing shoes emblazoned with the image of Pat Tillman, his fellow ASU alum who gave up an NFL career to enlist after September 11 and lost his life in Afghanistan.
"I always try to do something for the home crowd," said the native of Barrika, Spain, which is 5,400 miles away from Scottsdale. "It's fun and it's the biggest golf event in the sense of the most amount of people that come watch, so if you're a Sun Devil and a hometown favorite you get a lot of people supporting you and it's fun, it's great."
Rahm's outlook illuminates a truth about the 16th hole: being embraced has nothing to do with being born in the U.S., nor being a Scottsdale local. It's about your willingness to play the game, to roll with the fun. Roll your eyes instead, and the fans will spit roast you.
Not everyone is as comfortable in the coliseum as Rahm. Most just try to survive without being mauled.
Nate Lashley shot 66 in the first round in his Phoenix Open debut, but his ambition over the closing holes was to dodge the heckles. "So it's 16, 17, kind of nerve-wracking shots, really, because you don't want to get booed," he admitted. "But I think you just got to go out and just try to hit good shots and kind of wash out the noise and wash out all the distractions that are going on and just try to play some golf."
Veterans know that shutting out the mayhem isn't sustainable, that you have to let it wash over you just as the beer (and vomit) will come peak festivities on Saturday.
"This is a very unique week for us, very much of a Super Bowl atmosphere in golf. It's great for golf," said Harris English, who handled matters well with an opening 65.
"I love the fans here. They're out here to have a good time and whatever it brings to have a lot more people come watch golf is great for golf and I like it. If you let it get under your skin it can bug you, but you got to put yourself in their shoes, like if I was at a football game I would be trying to have fun and enjoying myself and that's what these people are doing."
Another lesson absorbed by seasoned survivors of the Scottsdale scene is this: adapting to the bedlam means adjusting your game, even on the comparatively quiet days.
"I think you have more adrenaline out here on a Thursday or Friday than you usually would at any other event, so I'm trying to channel that a little bit and just understand that the ball's going to go a little farther sometimes or you're a little juiced up," Justin Thomas said. "It's something that you don't feel nervous or adrenaline very often on a Thursday or Friday, so having to control that and your emotions for four days is tough sometimes."
"You can't replicate this anywhere and you can't really get ready for it, so all you can do is try to stay as calm as possible early on," Rahm agreed.
But there is one way to prepare for the cauldron at 16, Rahm admitted: play a tournament round with Tiger Woods. "If you get to play with him like I did at Augusta and at Torrey Pines that was a pretty good way to practice it," he said. "More than the crowd and the cheers, it's some of the noises you might hear ... but that's about it. You can't really get ready for it. You just have to experience it and learn from it."
Tom Hoge played with Woods last week in the Farmers Insurance Open and believes that experience, along with a late tee time last year, contributed to his Thursday 65. "I played with Tiger on Sunday last week and just to have that energy and excitement out there it's a blast," Hoge said. "I played well here last year, on Saturday I was one of the later groups, so I got to experience all the craziness there on the back nine. So it's fun and just try to welcome it and play well."
Even the players who say they enjoy the atmosphere concede they'll be happy to leave it behind come Sunday night. "It's quite amazing. I think it's good to have it at least once a year," Ben An said. "But I wouldn't take it every single week."
Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/golf/phoenix-open/2020/01/30/phoenix-open-16th-hole-boisterous-fans-pga-tour/2859862001/
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