Creators

Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish were given the task of putting together the Tournament Players Club facility. They designed the stadium course to be an open, desert course which could hold more fans than the previous event which took place in Phoenix.

The task was grueling. Over budget, behind schedule and encountering water problems, Jay and Tom thought the course might not ever be finished, but they worked it out and have gone on to make 23 astonishing golf courses together. They have shared the honor of being named Architects of the Year by Golf Magazine.

Trvia
How low can you go?

Mark Calcavecchia holds the lowest round ever recorded at any PGA event with a grand total of 256 strokes. On the Wednesday before the event in 1998, Mark Calcavecchia shot a round of 62. He called his mother and told her the event was in the bag, for the 62 he just shot was the easiest he had ever had. During the tournament that week, he broke or tied seven PGA tour-scoring records. After Calcavecchia’s domination in 1998, the Thunderbirds financed to lengthen the course so the FBR would not become the joke course on the tour.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods had the infamous “Shot heard round the world,” the loudest hole-in-one ever. Tiger lined up at the short par 3, 16th hole, and as the crowd slowly started to quiet down, he ripped the most memorable shot in FBR history. Tiger Woods has another claim to fame at the FBR Open. He hit a long drive on the par 5, 13th. He cleared a giant waste area only to land in the desert on the other side. Tiger was positioned directly behind a giant boulder. When asked for a ruling, the judges told him he could move the rock. Tiger then used nine fans from the crowd to help him move the boulder in order to have a clear shot at the green. So why does Tiger Woods not come to the FBR Open anymore? He gets a $3M appearance fee in Dubai. His connection back East... The Emperor who might be writing a check to Tiger Woods for $45M for naming a golf community after him. This check would make Tiger Woods the first billion dollar athlete. So you can understand his no show.

Andrew McGee's Hole in 4?
Andrew McGee double bogeyed hole 15 because he said he was nervous about the loudest hole in golf. He escaped with a par at 16 and no boos from the crowd. Then on number 17 he made history. He teed off from 332 yards. Andrew hit while other golfers were on the green ahead of him because he had never reached it before and didn’t think he would now. However, this stroke of luck made him a plaque with his name forever inscribed at the 17th hole. The thundering drive landed just short of the green rolled up and went in-between Tom Byron’s legs, bounced off of his putter and went into the hole. Everyone was so shocked, no one knew what to do. Was this really the first hole-in-one ever? Everyone stood around until a judge looked back from the green and gave McGee a field goal sign indicating that he was the first golfer to ace a par four. For once a ball is in play it does not matter what it hits.


The Course
Located in one of the nicest resort areas in all of the southwest, the TPC Scottsdale is a pristine facility with some of the greatest amenities available. First class dining and hotel stays are inevitable as they surround the finest golf course money can buy. The TPC Scottsdale is one of only 25 courses in the United States that charges more than $250 for 18 holes of golf.

The TPC is a challenging course, however very exploitable by professional golfers. The course is relatively short, 7,216 yards and almost all par 5’s are reachable in two. There is very easy access to greens if you keep your shots in the fairway. The rough is tough, but the fairways are so big, anyone who is contending for the win is not going to be hitting the rough that often anyway.

The week before the event, the greens are groomed similar to asphalt. Shots will not stick and putting becomes a shear guessing game. John Daly knowing the quickness of the greens, will pay special attention to his short chips during the Pro-Am because he knows his 360-yard drive will leave him many short chips to the green.

Mickelson, a hometown favorite, won the FBR Open in 1996 and then relaunched his career, dominating by five strokes in 2005.