The Stadium Stretch

[pressurepersonified]

The PGA TOUR has its share of tough three-to-four-hole stretches where even the best players in the world have to buckle down and calm their nerves. Some of the most famous like the Bear Trap at PGA National, Amen Corner at Augusta National, The Green Mile at Quail Hollow and The Snake Pit at Innisbrook all put a premium on shot making, challenging the PGA TOUR’s best to simply keep the ball in play.

TPC SCOTTSDALE, home of the WM Phoenix Open, has its own set of pressure points. And while the course itself isn’t considered especially difficult for the best golfers on the planet, the added stress of the largest golf gallery in the world – and a three-story Roman-style coliseum at the famed 16th hole – make the “Stadium Stretch” at the WM Phoenix Open arguably one of the most difficult and nerve racking four holes on TOUR. Starting on the par-5 15th, the “Stadium Stretch” begins with a tough tee shot into a narrowing fairway with water down the entire left side. The roars of the crowd at the 16th hole and the trials to come are close enough – and loud enough – to rattle the cages of any player eyeing eagle on the island green. The hole is certainly reachable in two for those looking for eagle opportunities, but come Sunday when the pressure is on and a PGA TOUR title is well within their sights, many players either elect to lay up short and play for birdie, or lose it left into the water along with their hopes at a title.

“It's actually very nerve racking,” said three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington. “It doesn't start when you enter in to play 16, it actually starts at 15. You can hear the boos and the noise – it doesn't matter how good you are as a golfer pressure wise. You're just thrown slightly out of your comfort zone with everyone that's going on.” Putt out on 15 and move on to the iconic 16th hole –the only stadium golf hole in the world. Make no mistake, there is simply nothing like it in professional golf. Ever since Tiger Woods’ “raise the roof” ace in 1997, the 16th hole coliseum at TPC Scottsdale has become one of the most recognizable venues in professional sports. Upwards of 17,000 of the PGA TOUR’s most enthusiastic fans surround the otherwise benign par-3, and players can figure out how well they struck their tee shot even if they were blindfolded based on the rousing cheers or deafening boos from the gallery. 2019 WM Phoenix Open champion Rickie Fowler has some advice for players making their first trip through the tunnel on the famed 16th hole – “Make sure to use the bathroom beforehand and take one less club. Otherwise, you will be hitting pitching wedge over the green into the grandstands.”

Next up in the “Stadium Stretch” is the drivable par-4 17th shadowed on both sides by the gigantic and imposing hospitality structures Bay Club and The Cove. If a player finds himself down two with two to play, here’s his chance to make up some ground and keep their title hopes alive. The reward is clear, the risk is everywhere, with water in play on the left and back of the large peninsular green. And with the traditional Sunday pin location, it’s not enough to simply hit the green off the tee and have a putt for eagle. Players have to be in the right spot or face a dreaded downhill putt into the water. Make or break with the championship on the line. What more can you ask for?

The last leg of the “Stadium Stretch” is for all the marbles. The 18th hole at TPC Scottsdale is a long par-4 with trouble everywhere you can imagine. A water hazard straight on the left leads directly into gnarly church-pew bunkers so thick Phil Mickelson needed help from a fan to find his ball in 2019. The right side of the hole is guarded by bunkers and good (not great) approach shots into the asymmetrical green are quickly rejected by a false front. Think you’re done with the crowds? Nope. The three-story, arcum-style structure on both the golfer’s right and left, aptly named E18hteen and Scorekeepers, provide added pressure to birdie putts. And thousands of fans who couldn’t care less about the Super Bowl gather ‘round the green with bated breath to get a first-hand glimpse of the eventual winner of the WM Phoenix Open. Ask any PGA TOUR professional who took on the “Stadium Stretch” at TPC Scottsdale and they’ll all say the same thing – buckle up, maintain focus and remember, above all else, to have fun and enjoy the moment. There’s nothing quite like it in professional golf.