Brennans Caddy Report-FBR Open

The first few weeks of the West Coast Swing is usually the best weather we have on Tour but unfortunately that is not the case this year. The weather in Palm Springs was the worst weather I have ever seen in the desert and this week in Phoenix is not much better. The last few days in Phoenix have been cold with intermittent showers which is very rare here. The rest of the week doesn't look all that good but it would be nice if we can get some warmer weather here soon!

The FBR Open has always been one of my favorite events of the year. I have a lot of friends in this area and I really like the golf course that we play, TPC Scottsdale.  We have played here almost every year that I have caddied for Mike. We are both very comfortable with the course and we know what we need to do to play well. From a caddying standpoint, it is great when you know the course so well as it makes my job much easier knowing where to hit the ball on the greens and what clubs to hit off every tee. This course has not changed much in the last 8 or 9 years so there should be no excuses as far as our preparation is concerned.

This year the course is in pretty good shape but isn't playing as fast as it normally does. The rain that we have had has made the course a little softer than normal, which in turn makes the course play a little longer. Also the greens are softer and holding so the players have control over where the ball is going to stop, which makes scoring much easier. The only other thing that has changed is the lack of rough this year at the TPC course. There is much less rough this year which should make for a little better scoring than the last few years. If the weather warms up a bit we should see some good scores.

The golf course is one that requires all shots and all clubs to be played. There are a lot of courses that we play that require more draws than fades or vice versa, but this place requires all shots. There is a good mixture of short and long par 4's and the same with the par 3's. The best part of the course is the last three holes. Number16 has always been known as the loudest hole in golf, a 160 yard par 3 that is surrounded by sky boxes and very loud fans! If you happen to miss the green you get booed and if you hit it close you get a loud ovation, something we don't see much in golf.  Hole Number17 is a par 4 that is drivable for some and you will see some eagles and a lot of birdies.  Number18 is a challenging par 4 with water all down the left and a hole that requires a good drive in order to approach the green from the correct position. The best part of the last three holes is you will see a lot of leaderboard movement and some big scoring swings. The crowd is what really makes this event, as it's the loudest and most excited crowd in golf! Last year there were over 500,000 people here in one week which is unbelievable!

I look for some good things this week as Mike is getting comfortable with his new swing and really feeling good about his game. He has also had some success here over the years so it would be a good week to start the year off well!

Thanks for reading!

Brennan