“Left. Left. Left.”
“Sit. Sit. Sit.”
“Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.”
And two more words.
Combined, they told the scene maybe better than we can. So let’s add only context. From the top then.
“Left. Left. Left.”
Justin Thomas’ ball needed to go that way Friday on TPC Scottsdale’s par-3 12th. Ahead of his white Titleist was a back-right pin on a green that funneled right and toward some water. Hit it left of the flag during the WM Phoenix Open’s second round? Safe. Hit it a little right of the flag, like Thomas? You start to talk, like Thomas. Then his tee shot landed.
“Sit. Sit. Sit.”
Thomas’ ball bounced short of the green, and that meant it was in for a ride. But don’t take our word for it. Jon Rahm called the green a “cart path.” Max Homa? “Really firm.” A PGA Tour Live announcer? “A fun house.” Remember that wind? Well, it wasn’t drying up just skin in the desert. Twelve green was crisp.
“They’re always very firm, but we just never have wind in Scottsdale,” Homa said. “So that’s what’s made it really tricky. The shot on 12 is always really firm. That back pin’s scary, but blowing down wind, 20 miles an hour, whatever we had, 15, 20, it made it just bounce like crazy.
“This place does an amazing job of getting firm and fast. But mixing the wind in is what’s making it really hard.”
Hit it left and short? OK. Hit it even slightly right and short, like Thomas? You start to talk, like Thomas? His tee shot kept moving.
“Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.”
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Thomas’ ball wasn’t, and yes, “sit, sit, sit” are kinda the same as “stop, stop, stop, stop.” Homa, one group ahead of Thomas, knew the feeling.
“Hit a beautiful 8-iron, almost hits the pin, and then it goes in the water,” he said. “So I guess I had to remind myself of that, I was pretty frustrated.”
Thomas’ ball then hit the down slope toward the water.
“F*** off.”
His ball fell in.
“Left, left, left, sit, sit, sit, stop, stop, stop, stop, f*** off.” Relatable.
Thomas summed things up pretty well.
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