It's the sweet 16 at Scottsdale

By: JAY PARIS - Staff Writer | Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:48 PM PST ∞

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ---- The fans roared their disapproval, letting loose with a jeer better suited for the Bronx.

"The last thing you want to do is give the crowd an opportunity to boo,'' golfer Jonathan Kaye said.

Booing? At a PGA Event? Welcome to the FBR Open, and more precisely, the par-3 No. 16 hole.

You got a bucket list for your golf dreams? If No. 16 at the TPC Scottsdale isn't on it, it should be.

It's a 162-yard, par 3, which was packed Thursday with some 20,000 golf nuts ---- we do mean nuts ---- throwing this grand old game built on tradition and quiet on its backside.

"I think you need to go to the 16th hole to understand,'' said Tom Lehman, who has homes in Del Mar and Scottsdale. "On Saturday and Sunday, especially, when the crowds are at their peak on the hillside on the back, the green is full of people sitting and watching. It's virtually a bowl. It's like playing a golf shot in the Rose Bowl. It's unlike anyplace that you'll ever go.''

Five bunkers hug the slick green, but it's the people jammed in the double layers of boxes and suites and filling the hill behind the hole that makes this place thunder.

"It's like a rock 'n' roll major,'' said Santa Ana's Kent Sneden, taking it in for the first time. "I've never seen anything like it.''

Neither have the players.

"Its like a football atmosphere out there on a golf course,'' Brandt Snedeker said. "It's different out there from what we are used to.''

Like the 20-something bunch near the tee box. They come prepared, peppering players with tidbits that are stunning.

"It's amazing,'' Lehman said. "Those guys who have always sat right next to the tee, all the college kids with all the different football jerseys, they know every player's alma mater, every fight song. So when you show up on the Tour they start singing, whether it be the Minnesota Gophers or the Michigan Wolverines or maybe the Packer jersey for Jerry Kelly, but they must have a truckload of jerseys and a boxful of music to know all the words.''

Word is No. 16 first got its groove on when Hal Sutton scored an ace in 1988 and the place went bonkers. Others point to 1997 when Tiger Woods scored a hole-in-one and it started raining ---- beer cups. Some were empty, some were full, some we aren't sure where they came from.

"There's that excitement because anyone can get a hole-in-one,'' said Bob Davis, of nearby Mesa. "And it gets rowdy.''

Just then things turned serious. Seems the majority of fans pick one of the three golfers in each group, wagering which comes closest to the pin. That just adds to the fever, when bettors cheer their guy no matter if there's a buck or C-note at stake.

"It's just a gentlemen's bet,'' Davis said.

"Oh really,'' chimed in Davis' chum, John Kealy of Phoenix. "Then we just made some money because we don't have to pay you.''

Aaron Baddeley got paid the most last year, taking home the $1.08 million first-place check. The Aussie, like others, gets a kick from No. 16.

"Yeah, it's unique,'' he said. "It's special to this tournament, it's special to this town. It's such a ---- everyone knows about it. People around here who don't know anything about golf know about the 16th hole at Phoenix, you know? It's the shortest, easiest, most intimidating hole in the world because it's not a difficult hole, but when you've got 17,000 people ready to boo you if you hit a bad shot, it's a little bit intimidating.

"I mean, it's a fun hole because if you hit a good shot they cheer and roar. I remember last year in the third round we all hit good shots, 15 feet, 12 feet, 10 feet. I think Jeff (Quinney) hit his first putt, missed it, they booed him. George McNeil missed his putt, they booed him. I missed my putt, they booed me. So we just hit good shots and they were cheering and now they're booing us. It's fun. I enjoy playing that hole.''

Snedeker said the key is to embrace the zanies.

"I have fun with it,'' he said. "They are just out there to have a good time."

And they do in full voice, various stages of inebriation and outfits ranging from classic knickers to apparel better suited for the beach ---- Black's Beach.

"It's actually quite fun,'' Charles Howell III said. "This is the only week of the year you get it, so it's almost what this tournament has become known for. It's a great golf course here, but almost the 16th hole sort of gets to be what this whole place is known for.''

So is it famous or infamous? Know this: it's the coolest hole in golf and the only PGA Tour stop where you can you buy a T-shirt proclaiming "I survived the 16th Hole!"

Contact staff writer Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com.

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