Howell - intends to hit driver a lot.
INSIDE TRACK - FBR OPEN
By Harry Emanuel
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The FBR Open at the TPC in Scottsdale, Arizona is better known for the crowds and the party than the golf. It boasts the largest attendance on the PGA Tour with over 500,000 spectators during the tournament week.
This is the 72nd playing of the event and it is one of the five oldest events on the PGA Tour. The list of winners includes Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.
This par 71 resort course was designed by Tom Weiskopf. After the lengthening of holes six, nine, fourteen and fifteen in 2003 the course plays 7,216 yards. Fred Funk, fresh from a Champions Tour victory said: "Since they've made the changes it's more of a bombers course."
This week it should play its full length as there has been a lot of rain over the first two practice days. The course has softened up a little and the ball is not rolling in the fairways.
As with all resort courses the landing areas in the fairways are very accessible allowing players to really give it a rip off the tee. Superintendent Jeff Plotts explained it as, "a go for broke type deal, it allows players to swing hard off the tee."
Last week's runner up Charles Howell III agrees: "It's a course that you can use driver a lot. If you drive it well here you play well."
The fairway bunkers won't hold much fear for the pros as they have an excellent quality of mined Californian sand and are shallow enough that players should still reach the green.
Dry weather in the previous weeks means the overseed has not grown and the rough is not as high as previous years. Howell commented: "The rough's not that bad, typical of a desert style course, there's always an element of guesswork but you can still get the ball to the green."
A classic Weiskopf design, the greens are well protected by bunkers with lots of run-off areas.
The greens would have been firm and fast but the recent rain means they are receptive and players will be rewarded for aggression. When the greens are holding the players have control over where the ball is going to stop which make scoring much easier.
Before you get caught up in the hype do not rule out the shorter hitters. Players like David Toms, Chris DiMarco, and Scott Verplank have excellent records here and that's because birdie is king. Birdies are the name of the game this week and a soft course will allow accurate players to go low as long as the wind cooperates.
During practice the wind has blown out of the east making the course very difficult. On the ninth Singh had to hit driver, hybrid and still came up short of the green which is unheard of as it is usually driver, short iron.
The course should play normally with light winds forecast out of the south west but you can never be sure at this stage of the week.
Below are the hole averages from 2003-2006:
| |
Hole |
Yards |
Par |
Sc Av |
Rank |
| |
1 |
410 |
4 |
3.96 |
13 |
| |
2 |
416 |
4 |
4.04 |
9 |
| |
3 |
554 |
5 |
4.72 |
16 |
| |
4 |
175 |
3 |
2.99 |
11 |
| |
5 |
453 |
4 |
4.06 |
6 |
| |
6 |
436 |
4 |
4.05 |
7 |
| |
7 |
215 |
3 |
3.17 |
1 |
| |
8 |
470 |
4 |
4.07 |
5 |
| |
9 |
464 |
4 |
4.02 |
10 |
| |
|
3,593 |
35 |
35.08 |
|
| |
10 |
403 |
4 |
3.96 |
13 |
| |
11 |
469 |
4 |
4.15 |
2 |
| |
12 |
195 |
3 |
3.15 |
3 |
| |
13 |
595 |
5 |
4.56 |
18 |
| |
14 |
477 |
4 |
4.08 |
4 |
| |
15 |
552 |
5 |
4.67 |
17 |
| |
16 |
162 |
3 |
2.97 |
12 |
| |
17 |
332 |
4 |
3.74 |
15 |
| |
18 |
438 |
4 |
4.05 |
8 |
| |
|
3,623 |
36 |
35.32 |
|
| |
|
71 |
7,216 |
70.40 |
|
There are very few really testing holes compared to last week at Torrey Pines and the winner has only shot over par in one of his rounds three times in the last twenty years.
The back nine plays slightly easier than the front nine mainly because it has an extra par five.
The last six holes can provide a lot of excitement.
The par five thirteenth is followed swiftly by the short par five fifteenth. Both offer excellent birdie opportunities with the fifteenth a good eagle opportunity. In fact J.B Holmes was ten under par through this stretch on the way to his twenty under par winning total last year.
Things can still change over the last few holes as the players have to successfully negotiate their tee shot on the sixteenth in front of sixteen thousand spectators.
With the seventeenth a drivable par four don't be surprised to see players make a late charge for glory in the last round.
