Another spectacular day in Scottsdale! Kenny Perry won the 2009 Thunderbird Trophy after burying a 22-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole. Perry beat a game Charley Hoffman.
Perry shot a 2- under 69 for the day but bogeyed the 18th which set up the 2-man playoff. This was the second year in a row that this event has gone to a playoff. Last year, J.B. Holmes besting Phil Mickelson.
“To me this is a place I always felt like I could win,” said the 48 year old Kentucky native.
“I always felt very comfortable on this golf course, and for whatever reason I didn't putt well these last two days, but I hit it good enough to do well, and I thought it was going to be a special day.”
An announced crowd of 60,435 enjoyed clear blue, sunny skies and 72 degree temperatures. Many in the crowd showed their colors, NFL team of choice that is, and the dominate hue was cardinal red.
That’s because FBR Open Tournament Chairman John Felix issued this mandate after Friday’s Round 2, “Any golf fan who wears Arizona Cardinal gear to the FBR Open on Sunday will be admitted free of charge.” It amounted to a $25 savings and help Felix meet his objective making the FBR a “sea of Cardinal red”.
By my count, several thousands Redbird fanatics took Felix up on his offer. It should be noted that a fair amount of Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys were scattered in the crowd. Although their numbers were decidedly smaller, the Steel City supporters were vocal and often drew the ire of the partisan Cardinal fan base in attendance.
Third Round leader and 12-time TOUR winner, Perry wore a red golf shirt for the second straight day. His rationale behind his wardrobe was that he played so well on Saturday in a red top (he carded a red number 66) that a similar shirt may bring him a similar result on Sunday. The plan worked to perfection.
Galleries seemed evenly split among the top contending group. Perry had a vocal contingent at tee off on Hole #1 and early on the front nine. The fans favorites were Rocco Mediate, Geoff Ogilvy, Round 1 co-leader James Nitties, as well as Moon Valley resident, Ted Purdy.
The 16th Hole sure gets plenty of attention and so yesterday; I finally made my way to the vaunted “arena”. 20,000 seats now totally surround this legendary hole. Early last month, on Media Day, I played this hole. I remembered thinking as I took aim at this 175 yard Par 3, I wondered what it would be like to hit a shot into a sea of people. When we played, the stands were up but empty. Today they were filled to capacity. A ten to fifteen minute wait for the general admission bleacher seats was common throughout the day. May fans stay for several groups while most saw a group or two and moved on.
Overall, the hole is not as crazy as it is made out to be but it is easily the wildest hole on TOUR. I was told by the security personnel that the afternoons, Friday and Saturday in particular, were more raucous than the mornings.
Even though their headquarters and Super Bowl XLIII were on the East Coast, the National Football League (NFL) made its looming presence felt all the way here in Arizona. The No Fun League did not allow the host Thunderbirds to have a scheduled viewing party in the popular Greenskeeper Tent. Seems this gathering, complete with JumboTron, somehow would violate an NFL rule. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said “a program can't be shown on monitors larger than 55 inches in a setting that is not normally set up for this type of thing.”
Quick thinking by the higher ups at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess including David Miller, Director of Restaurants, created a post tournament celebration at the TPC Clubhouse.
Admission was free and football fans enjoyed the big game on 25 plasma screens (several 50 inches in size). A cash bar, game time drink specials and the wonderful scenery of the TPC’s 18th Hole were part of the festivities. For just $10, attendees enjoyed an “All You Can Eat Game Time Buffet”. Despite the NFL, the party was a rousing success and crowds were estimated at nearly 1,000.
In closing, I’d like to mention a kind gesture by TOUR player Brett Quigley. Quigley and I both come from Rhode Island. We have a mutual friend back in the Ocean State named John Cregan. Quigley & Cregan play out of Rhode Island Country Club, a classic Donald Ross layout located in the town of Barrington.
In the Media area after Round 1, I introduced myself to Brett and he graciously gave me a few moments of his time.
On Sunday, as he approached the 17th Hole, I was behind the ropes and waved hello. He recognized me and came over. We exchanged pleasantries and Brett even took time to say speak to my two children, Dante and Alessia.
Before he went to hit his tee shot, Quigley gave Dante a Titleist Pro V1x. Several nearby spectators applauded Quigley’s generosity. In addition to the golf ball, Dante now has a new favorite golfer. Thank you Brett.