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Started By
Message
re: A friend's recount of the Waste Management Open from 10 years ago..
Posted on 3/20/20 at 4:47 pm to LSUAlum2001
Posted on 3/20/20 at 4:47 pm to LSUAlum2001
Once Brian Gay—another player with Villegas—hit the green, he and his caddie ran down close to our stands and started throwing head-covers with a plastic cover to people in the crowd. One of the guys behind me chuckled.
“Hey, does anyone want a Gay head-cover?”
With that, I said goodbye to a few of the fine gents near me and made my way back to the media center, just as the sun was starting to bake everyone’s forehead.
It’s hard to put into words just how fun the 16th hole is. Kenny Perry said earlier this week that some players will actually avoid this tournament altogether simply because of that hole. I think that’s a shame. For the PGA Tour, an organization that is no doubt looking for new ways to market themselves now that Tiger has become an unpredictable variable, I would see a hole like the 16th as a great way to show people that even if you’re not a serious golfer, you can still have a lot of fun on the course. As Perry said, the design of this golf course allows for an exorbitant number of fans (over 200,000 on Friday and Saturday combined historically) to view the tournament, with all of the massive hills that frame each hole. Perhaps the PGA Tour should push current and future golf courses to do a little renovating around each hole, rather than redo a green or a fairway simply because some of the players are complaining. Make tournaments more fan friendly, and I think more people will have fun.
Personally, I have two ideas: first, tailgating should be par for the course in the parking lots at each event, and second, they should have a line in the concession area simply for keg stands. That’s all I’m saying. Let’s say: $5.00 for 10-15 seconds? That sounds about right. Now, if drinking is not your thing, how about bringing smoothie bars on the course? And how about lowering prices a bit? If you want to charge $7.00 for a beer, then only charge like $10 for a daily ticket. You have to find a way to balance it.
But the 16th is something I wish every golfer could experience for themselves. It’s like every sporting event was combined with a backyard barbeque, and you’re just surrounded by noise. I didn’t meet one person that was rude or impolite in the least. These patrons were as well behaved as what I experienced at Augusta last year (aside from the noise) and that’s really saying something.
** I have to say that despite all of the alcohol—which definitely came through in a few spots above—I was still able to come up with some neat observations. My Editor, bless her soul, edited this section anyway (so I had to remove it and replace it with the original). My favorite side-bar comment from my Editor: “??? Must be the Heinekens.”
Waste Management Phoenix Open – Saturday, February 27, 2010
When the Stilettos Meet the Turf
When I walked into the dining area of the cart barn this morning I finally got a chance to congratulate John Strege on his writing award from the Golf Writers Association of America. He kept his head down while he thanked me, almost as if he were embarrassed.
“Thanks. I was really surprised myself, because it seems that the articles that win each year all deal with tragedy, or cancer, or something like that. But thank you.”
Just as I was about to walk back and check my e-mail, I overheard John say something to another writer that walked in: “Hey, did you hear what Woody told me yesterday? He said that 50% of the people at this tournament will never see a golf shot.” I’m sure that’s only an opinion, but even if it’s half true, that’s amazing – when you consider that more than 400,000 people walk the grounds over the course of the week.
When I got back to my seat, Steve Sands was on television. I couldn’t tell what he was talking about because they never have the volume turned up on the flat-screens in the media center. But when a couple of the PGA Tour representatives came in, they started laughing when they saw him on the screen.
“Man, do you think Steve went anywhere last night?”
“Man, he looks awful.”
After reviewing the tee times for the day, I decided to follow Alvaro Quiros, Mathew Goggin, and Tom Lehman for the first 9 holes, and then figure things out from there. The field this week really is spectacular, and the 16th hole really is spectacular, so I wasn’t sure what I’d want to pursue after lunch.
After passing a house party that had spilled out on to a lawn on the 2nd hole, with a large banner hung over early-morning partiers that read: “2 is the new 16,” I finally caught up with Lehman’s group as they were putting out. Lehman and Goggin both missed their up-and-downs—Goggin from the bunker and Lehman from just off of the green. I couldn’t believe that Lehman and Goggin hit their bunker shot / pitch so poorly that both results were still further away from the hole than Quiros’ approach shot. But, Quiros missed his birdie if that made the other players feel any better. Off in the distance, like a siren song through the morning breezes, I heard the ASU boys again on 16: “Sign boy! Sign boy! Sign boy!”
As I walked around to catch up with the players as they hit their second shots, a group of three young girls and a young guy carried neon-orange signs, each with a letter on it. Then a group of men passed me on the left, each with a beer in their hands. What is it, like 10:30 am? When do you boys start?
“Hey, does anyone want a Gay head-cover?”
With that, I said goodbye to a few of the fine gents near me and made my way back to the media center, just as the sun was starting to bake everyone’s forehead.
It’s hard to put into words just how fun the 16th hole is. Kenny Perry said earlier this week that some players will actually avoid this tournament altogether simply because of that hole. I think that’s a shame. For the PGA Tour, an organization that is no doubt looking for new ways to market themselves now that Tiger has become an unpredictable variable, I would see a hole like the 16th as a great way to show people that even if you’re not a serious golfer, you can still have a lot of fun on the course. As Perry said, the design of this golf course allows for an exorbitant number of fans (over 200,000 on Friday and Saturday combined historically) to view the tournament, with all of the massive hills that frame each hole. Perhaps the PGA Tour should push current and future golf courses to do a little renovating around each hole, rather than redo a green or a fairway simply because some of the players are complaining. Make tournaments more fan friendly, and I think more people will have fun.
Personally, I have two ideas: first, tailgating should be par for the course in the parking lots at each event, and second, they should have a line in the concession area simply for keg stands. That’s all I’m saying. Let’s say: $5.00 for 10-15 seconds? That sounds about right. Now, if drinking is not your thing, how about bringing smoothie bars on the course? And how about lowering prices a bit? If you want to charge $7.00 for a beer, then only charge like $10 for a daily ticket. You have to find a way to balance it.
But the 16th is something I wish every golfer could experience for themselves. It’s like every sporting event was combined with a backyard barbeque, and you’re just surrounded by noise. I didn’t meet one person that was rude or impolite in the least. These patrons were as well behaved as what I experienced at Augusta last year (aside from the noise) and that’s really saying something.
** I have to say that despite all of the alcohol—which definitely came through in a few spots above—I was still able to come up with some neat observations. My Editor, bless her soul, edited this section anyway (so I had to remove it and replace it with the original). My favorite side-bar comment from my Editor: “??? Must be the Heinekens.”
Waste Management Phoenix Open – Saturday, February 27, 2010
When the Stilettos Meet the Turf
When I walked into the dining area of the cart barn this morning I finally got a chance to congratulate John Strege on his writing award from the Golf Writers Association of America. He kept his head down while he thanked me, almost as if he were embarrassed.
“Thanks. I was really surprised myself, because it seems that the articles that win each year all deal with tragedy, or cancer, or something like that. But thank you.”
Just as I was about to walk back and check my e-mail, I overheard John say something to another writer that walked in: “Hey, did you hear what Woody told me yesterday? He said that 50% of the people at this tournament will never see a golf shot.” I’m sure that’s only an opinion, but even if it’s half true, that’s amazing – when you consider that more than 400,000 people walk the grounds over the course of the week.
When I got back to my seat, Steve Sands was on television. I couldn’t tell what he was talking about because they never have the volume turned up on the flat-screens in the media center. But when a couple of the PGA Tour representatives came in, they started laughing when they saw him on the screen.
“Man, do you think Steve went anywhere last night?”
“Man, he looks awful.”
After reviewing the tee times for the day, I decided to follow Alvaro Quiros, Mathew Goggin, and Tom Lehman for the first 9 holes, and then figure things out from there. The field this week really is spectacular, and the 16th hole really is spectacular, so I wasn’t sure what I’d want to pursue after lunch.
After passing a house party that had spilled out on to a lawn on the 2nd hole, with a large banner hung over early-morning partiers that read: “2 is the new 16,” I finally caught up with Lehman’s group as they were putting out. Lehman and Goggin both missed their up-and-downs—Goggin from the bunker and Lehman from just off of the green. I couldn’t believe that Lehman and Goggin hit their bunker shot / pitch so poorly that both results were still further away from the hole than Quiros’ approach shot. But, Quiros missed his birdie if that made the other players feel any better. Off in the distance, like a siren song through the morning breezes, I heard the ASU boys again on 16: “Sign boy! Sign boy! Sign boy!”
As I walked around to catch up with the players as they hit their second shots, a group of three young girls and a young guy carried neon-orange signs, each with a letter on it. Then a group of men passed me on the left, each with a beer in their hands. What is it, like 10:30 am? When do you boys start?
This post was edited on 3/20/20 at 5:10 pm
1
Posted on 3/20/20 at 4:47 pm to LSUAlum2001
The 3rd hole at TPC Scottsdale is actually a good par-5, because it’s just long enough to leave a Tin Cup yardage for your second shot. The green itself is elevated and over a creek, and if you go right, you’re in a collection area with a difficult flop shot to hold the green, which looks to be one of the smaller greens on the course. Lehman laid up short of the creek on his second shot—a predictable smart play from the newly dubbed Assistant Ryder Cup Captain for 2010. Goggin tried to rip at it, and ended up left in the creek, but not to worry, because this is Arizona and that creek’s been dry for years.
Quiros, whose length off of the tee has spread far and wide to river and dell at this point, went wide right near the “creek” on the right side of the hole in the trees. From there, he took an iron—and frankly, it doesn’t matter what it was, just that it was an IRON—and hit a low stinger that ended up in the collection area on the right OVER the creek in front of the green. He was only slightly farther up than Goggin, who hit a WOOD, mind you, and Quiros cleared the creek with a freaking IRON.
Everyone made par, with Lehman hitting his safe approach within two-putt range, Goggin flubbing the crap out of his pitch from the “creek,” and Quiros predictably hitting his flop shot long to a pin tucked right against the bunker he had to clear.
To the left of the par-3 4, the steep hillside provides for optimal viewing, and if people weren’t walking by me with some sort of “adult drink” in their hands they were laying out blankets and lounging.
Another roar erupted from the 16 , making me jealous and antsy, wishing I was there already. One of the girls with the neon-orange signs stood right next to me, which I was really surprised at because there was nobody standing around us. She had her pick of the entire rope-line for the most part. So, I took the hint and decided to ask: “So what do the signs spell?”
“Tom.”
How the hell do you spell “Tom”? There are four of you. I’m no Scrabble Champion by any stretch, but that’s messed up. Do you spell it “Tome” and make the “e” silent or something? Do I just need a few beers for it to make sense? But then I saw that the young lad had the sign with the exclamation point on it. Oh, now I see. So clever.
Although I hadn’t been able to see a close-up of Quiros’ swing yet, from where I stood on the 4th I was able to get a good look, simply because of his pre-shot routine. He stands behind the ball and takes practice swings that are perpendicular to the target line, staring down his upcoming shot. I thought that setup was a little weird, because I feel like this sort of pre-shot routine is only appropriate for putting. But, to each his own. I’m sure with his length a lot of these shots seem like putts. His swing looked somewhat abbreviated for his height and build, and you could just feel the full extension of his left arm, held perfectly straight on the backswing. No wonder he hit an iron that far on 3—he definitely knows how to torque it on the backswing.
The whole group made pars again, with two-putts all around. Quiros had a tricky downhill 15-footer for birdie that made a banana left down at the hole, and he almost missed it coming back. Part of me wished he did miss it, because this round had been a little too exciting for me thus far. I reasoned that the perpetual roars I kept hearing from the 16th reminded me of how much fun I had yesterday, and made me feel like once you get that sort of high while watching golf, a round like this just doesn’t “do” it for you until you re-acclimate yourself.
On the 5 , Quiros hit his first fairway of the day, blowing by Lehman and Goggin by a good 30 yards. I had my pin sheet handy, and used a nearby sprinkler head to pace off the yardage for Lehman and Goggin, who ended up right next to each other. Looks like 121 front, 141 pin. Lehman hit a peach of a shot in, which I would later hear from the Shot Link guy at the green that it ended up 1’1’’ away, and was the “best shot in all day so far.” Quiros also made birdie, but then again, he probably should have, being less than 100 yards in to an easy pin, located on a flat section on the right side of the green.
All week so far, I had been hearing on television and from media people around me that this course really is a bomber’s paradise, so I felt that if Quiros could actually keep it in the fairway off of the tee, he would probably win. What a monster.
On the 6 , Lehman’s drive ended up in the right rough, leaving a difficult approach shot to a pin tucked way left over the trap. The left side of the green is quite narrow, and out of the rough Lehman would have a hell of a time trying to stop the ball before it went over the steep bank on the back of the green into a collection area. Lehman opted for the fat part of the green right of the trap, and put his ball about pin high. Quiros, again 30 yards ahead, went right at it, but ended up just off of the green in the fringe left of the hole. Well, maybe Quiros won’t win this thing. He can drive the ball really far, sure, but his wedge game wasn’t taking advantage of his yardage off of the tee.
Standing high above the 6th green on another steep slope for patron viewing, I heard screams from the 16th again, loud and clear.
“Nice hit! Nice hit! Nice hit! Yeahhhhhhh!”
Man, that hole is so tempting. Lehman had a great two-putt from across the green and onto the upper tier, and the other two players made wonderful ho-hum pars as well. If it weren’t for admiring Lehman’s smart play, this round might be boring. That reminds me, though: just like Paul Goydos, Lehman’s game has stepped up after the nod from Corey Pavin. Maybe that boost of confidence was all that these guys needed.
Just before I moved to the 7th tee, I saw something inspiring. A tan girl with short jean-shorts (with frills) and a low cut top was trying to traverse the steep slope to get to her nice boyfriend with the super-spiky hair. He wasn’t HELPING her across, mind you, only waiting. Due to the slick flip-flops she was wearing, the dry, sun-burnt grass acted like grease, and she started sliding down the hill while she tried to walk towards him. She finally gave up, and crawled to him on her hands and knees up the hill until she reached the top and could walk safely.
What was truly inspiring about this moment was that they could easily have a downhill race—much like the Olympics, but with more alcohol and less training—with these gussied-up dames with designer flip flops next year. Maybe whoever has the fastest time gets a free pair of sneakers or something. But how much fun would that be to watch?
Quiros, whose length off of the tee has spread far and wide to river and dell at this point, went wide right near the “creek” on the right side of the hole in the trees. From there, he took an iron—and frankly, it doesn’t matter what it was, just that it was an IRON—and hit a low stinger that ended up in the collection area on the right OVER the creek in front of the green. He was only slightly farther up than Goggin, who hit a WOOD, mind you, and Quiros cleared the creek with a freaking IRON.
Everyone made par, with Lehman hitting his safe approach within two-putt range, Goggin flubbing the crap out of his pitch from the “creek,” and Quiros predictably hitting his flop shot long to a pin tucked right against the bunker he had to clear.
To the left of the par-3 4, the steep hillside provides for optimal viewing, and if people weren’t walking by me with some sort of “adult drink” in their hands they were laying out blankets and lounging.
Another roar erupted from the 16 , making me jealous and antsy, wishing I was there already. One of the girls with the neon-orange signs stood right next to me, which I was really surprised at because there was nobody standing around us. She had her pick of the entire rope-line for the most part. So, I took the hint and decided to ask: “So what do the signs spell?”
“Tom.”
How the hell do you spell “Tom”? There are four of you. I’m no Scrabble Champion by any stretch, but that’s messed up. Do you spell it “Tome” and make the “e” silent or something? Do I just need a few beers for it to make sense? But then I saw that the young lad had the sign with the exclamation point on it. Oh, now I see. So clever.
Although I hadn’t been able to see a close-up of Quiros’ swing yet, from where I stood on the 4th I was able to get a good look, simply because of his pre-shot routine. He stands behind the ball and takes practice swings that are perpendicular to the target line, staring down his upcoming shot. I thought that setup was a little weird, because I feel like this sort of pre-shot routine is only appropriate for putting. But, to each his own. I’m sure with his length a lot of these shots seem like putts. His swing looked somewhat abbreviated for his height and build, and you could just feel the full extension of his left arm, held perfectly straight on the backswing. No wonder he hit an iron that far on 3—he definitely knows how to torque it on the backswing.
The whole group made pars again, with two-putts all around. Quiros had a tricky downhill 15-footer for birdie that made a banana left down at the hole, and he almost missed it coming back. Part of me wished he did miss it, because this round had been a little too exciting for me thus far. I reasoned that the perpetual roars I kept hearing from the 16th reminded me of how much fun I had yesterday, and made me feel like once you get that sort of high while watching golf, a round like this just doesn’t “do” it for you until you re-acclimate yourself.
On the 5 , Quiros hit his first fairway of the day, blowing by Lehman and Goggin by a good 30 yards. I had my pin sheet handy, and used a nearby sprinkler head to pace off the yardage for Lehman and Goggin, who ended up right next to each other. Looks like 121 front, 141 pin. Lehman hit a peach of a shot in, which I would later hear from the Shot Link guy at the green that it ended up 1’1’’ away, and was the “best shot in all day so far.” Quiros also made birdie, but then again, he probably should have, being less than 100 yards in to an easy pin, located on a flat section on the right side of the green.
All week so far, I had been hearing on television and from media people around me that this course really is a bomber’s paradise, so I felt that if Quiros could actually keep it in the fairway off of the tee, he would probably win. What a monster.
On the 6 , Lehman’s drive ended up in the right rough, leaving a difficult approach shot to a pin tucked way left over the trap. The left side of the green is quite narrow, and out of the rough Lehman would have a hell of a time trying to stop the ball before it went over the steep bank on the back of the green into a collection area. Lehman opted for the fat part of the green right of the trap, and put his ball about pin high. Quiros, again 30 yards ahead, went right at it, but ended up just off of the green in the fringe left of the hole. Well, maybe Quiros won’t win this thing. He can drive the ball really far, sure, but his wedge game wasn’t taking advantage of his yardage off of the tee.
Standing high above the 6th green on another steep slope for patron viewing, I heard screams from the 16th again, loud and clear.
“Nice hit! Nice hit! Nice hit! Yeahhhhhhh!”
Man, that hole is so tempting. Lehman had a great two-putt from across the green and onto the upper tier, and the other two players made wonderful ho-hum pars as well. If it weren’t for admiring Lehman’s smart play, this round might be boring. That reminds me, though: just like Paul Goydos, Lehman’s game has stepped up after the nod from Corey Pavin. Maybe that boost of confidence was all that these guys needed.
Just before I moved to the 7th tee, I saw something inspiring. A tan girl with short jean-shorts (with frills) and a low cut top was trying to traverse the steep slope to get to her nice boyfriend with the super-spiky hair. He wasn’t HELPING her across, mind you, only waiting. Due to the slick flip-flops she was wearing, the dry, sun-burnt grass acted like grease, and she started sliding down the hill while she tried to walk towards him. She finally gave up, and crawled to him on her hands and knees up the hill until she reached the top and could walk safely.
What was truly inspiring about this moment was that they could easily have a downhill race—much like the Olympics, but with more alcohol and less training—with these gussied-up dames with designer flip flops next year. Maybe whoever has the fastest time gets a free pair of sneakers or something. But how much fun would that be to watch?
This post was edited on 3/20/20 at 5:14 pm
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