Ryan Fox meets Bayleigh Teepa-Tarau. Video / Golf NZ / NZ Herald
Ryan Fox is a late inclusion to the field for this year’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. His reward? A chance to tee it up on the 16th at TPC Scottsdale, known as “the loudest hole in golf”.
The par-three 16th hole at Scottsdale has seating that can fit as many people as an NBA arena, is the only fully enclosed hole on the PGA Tour and is also the only hole on tour where golf’s strict etiquette goes in the drink.
Players are greeted by cheers when they hit the green, jeers when they miss and can send the spectators into delirium should they hit a hole-in-one.
Tiger Woods (1997), Jarrod Lyle (2011), Francesco Molinari (2015), Sam Ryder (2022) and even a golf robot known as LDRIC have made memorable aces on the memorable hole - although those lucky enough to see LDRIC’s effort in person described the swing as being a little robotic.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB, Fox says he has seen the hole without spectators and feels as though without the raucous antics of the punters, it would be a relatively simple hole.
“It’s definitely going to be an intimidating shot. It’s weird, because I don’t think it would be a tough par three at any stretch normally - it’s an eight iron, nine iron or a wedge depending on the tee position and the flag position and there’s no trouble around the green per se, it’s a pretty big green.”
The 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale presents a unique challenge. Photo / PGA Tour via Getty Images
Add the rough equivalent of people needed to fill Eden Park, however, and you have an entirely different task at hand, the world No 34 says.
“With 40,000 people, 50,000 people jeering and screaming at you it’s something we don’t really face in golf. The only thing I can think of that I’ve played somewhat similar to that is the 17th at Sawgrass and it’s certainly not as many people, but it’s a far more intimidating shot with that island green ... I managed to hit the green all four rounds last year at Sawgrass so hopefully I can do something similar this week at 16.”
The Phoenix Open has become a season highlight for fans and players with the more relaxed rules but high-quality golf is still on display, drawing huge crowds.
”This tournament’s just crazy, I think last year I heard they had 900,000 people in the gates, which is unheard of for a golf tournament, really. It was Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix as well which I think added to the craziness so maybe this year may not be quite as big, but it will still probably be the biggest crowds I’ve played in front of, which will be a cool experience,” Fox says.
While players will often engage with the crowd on the 16th, many of whom toward the end of the day’s play have indulged in plenty of beverages to lubricate their vocal chords, Fox says he will leave the crowd-hyping antics to some of the more seasoned players on tour.
“I think I’ll just be trying to focus on getting the shot right. I feel like as a rookie maybe that’s not something you do, you just get up and hit your shot and try not to make a fool of yourself and that will certainly be me for the first couple of rounds.”
Fox will tee off for the first round of the Phoenix Open on Friday morning about 9.39am, New Zealand time.
