Not Spence's day...
There’s probably never a better time to not have email or a cell phone — Spencer Levin owns neither. When you lose a six-shot lead with just 18 to play, the last thing you need is sympathetic messages and/or calls (or Twitter).
Levin was dominating the field at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but wayward shots on the back nine cost him the lead and eventually the tournament. He shot four-over 75 and ended up third.
That one's for you, fans!
Spencer Levin is usually seen smoking darts like it’s his job, but this week at TPC Scottsdale, he’s also hitting darts. The fiery Levin teed off in the final round of the Phoenix Open with a six-shot lead through 54 holes.
Spence has got this in the bag, right? Well, if we learned anything last week at the Farmers Insurance Open, NO lead is safe. Not even a seven-shot advantage with 11 holes to play. The tournament is 72 holes, not 71, etc.
Cheesehead!
When final-round play was suspended due to darkness on Sunday evening at TPC Scottsdale, Mark Wilson, who won last month’s Sony Open, held a two-stroke lead over third-round leader Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey, Jason Dufner and Vijay Singh at the (Phoenix) Waste Management Open. Wilson, a native of Wisconsin, wore a yellow visor and green shirt in support of the Green Bay Packers. He even broke out a cheesehead hat on No. 16 during the third round this morning (because of the frost delays, third round play wasn’t completed until Sunday afternoon).
The stands on No. 16 at 4pm on Super Bowl Sunday
The atmosphere on No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale was a little different on Sunday afternoon compared to the melee on Saturday. Not that this comes as a huge surprise — it’s the story every year, even when the final round of the Phoenix Open doesn’t coincide with the Super Bowl (like in 2010). Saturday’s recorded attendance reached 131,627, up from last year’s 121,221. On Super Bowl Sunday only 61,923 fans and party animals attended.
Jarrod Lyle made a hole-in-on on the legendary par-3 No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale on Saturday morning. He’s the eighth person in the history of the Phoenix Open to achieve the feat and the first in nine years.
Anthony Kim sets up to his tee shot. In his backswing, someone yelled, "SHANK!"
I wrote a dissertation about my experience on the 16th from Thursday for Golf.com last night, “The party finally gets started at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole.” Here’s an excerpt:
Two Gloves!
The man they call ‘Two Gloves’, Tommy Gainey, currently shares the top spot in Phoenix with FedEx Cup leader (that’s right, Fedex Cup leader) Mark Wilson (no wait! projected Fedex Cup leader… so many statistics).
Rickie Fowler, Ricky Barnes and Charley Hoffman jam at the Bird's Nest
I experienced my first trip to the legendary Bird’s Nest on Thursday night. Tons of dudes flocked over to the tent, across the street from TPC Scottsdale, to watch O.A.R. perform. I timidly walked in the VIP area, where the booze flowed freely — well, actually, each person gets 10 drinks, but I found out this policy was very liberal (a bartender punches your pass every time, but most the time, they were nice and only punched it once even if you ordered two drinks). Naturally, I rushed over to the bar and quickly downed a shot of Patron to catch up with the rest of the crowd, since I arrived a little late.
Quiet please! Say what?
There’s nothing in golf that compares to the legendary 16th hole at the Phoenix Open. With the hole entirely enclosed by grandstands, it feels like you’re in a real stadium rather than a golf tournament. No. 16 is the only hole all year where heckling and loud cheering are not only acceptable, it’s expected. The atmosphere makes it seem like you’re at a football or baseball game — all the uptight, conservative customs synonymous to golf are thrown out the door. What’s most impressive is that the drunken yahoos in the stands actually do extensive research for material to use for their taunts at the players (and sometimes even their caddies).
Earlier this week, I caught up with several players for their thoughts on No. 16. The response? They love it. In fact, they’d like to see more of it in golf.
Welcome to Balls in the Air, where I size up my Fantasy Golf picks of the week, featuring guys to watch (or not) and interesting story lines. Disclaimer: My picks may suck, but I do think through the factors that may weigh in.
Brrrrr: It's cold!
Welcome to the Phoenix Open, the Greatest Show on the Frost, the Tour’s Party Stop, where golf is secondary for the fans and beer is primary. Unfortunately, we’ve had a chilly front come through Scottsdale the past few days. Wednesday’s pro-am was canceled because the greens were frozen. Chances of play on Thursday kicking off as scheduled appear very slim. Golfers playing in the morning wave, check the phones for text message updates and then go back to sleep. Guys in the afternoon wave should just be on-call starting around noon, but realize the odds are slim that they’ll tee off. Bring games and iPads!
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