Hello, friends, and happy Saturday morning from the WM Phoenix Open. I had quite the morning before heading to the course on Friday. My brother, Brendan, and I went to visit my sister at the elementary school she teaches at, but not before realizing I lost my wallet somewhere. Panic ensued. How would I put gas in the tank of my rental car? Get dinner tonight? Get on my flight to Los Angeles on Sunday? Unfortunately for everyone around me, my stress became their problem.
Turns out I left my wallet in the media center at TPC Scottsdale overnight! I’d like to thank each and every member of golf media in attendance this week for not snagging my credit card or expired library card for themselves. But enough about me. Let’s get to the golf.
Streaker on 16
I was still feeling a little stressed when I arrived to the course, so I decided I’d walk around for a bit to chill out. I headed out to the 16th hole, which admittedly is the opposite of chill. Within minutes, I witnessed something wild.
A streaker appeared from the left sideline of No. 16 and booked it toward the green. People were screaming and riling him up, but as an avid rule follower, I once again felt stressed out by this troublemaker! Where was security? Were they going to tackle him?
There was actually a handful of NFL players hanging out on the 16th tee box taking in all the action. I’m willing to bet they could’ve tackled the guy within seconds, but they left it up to security. And folks, this streaker was quick! I’d love to know his 40-yard dash time, because moments after dancing with the flag on 16, he disappeared into the tunnel, headed down the 17th fairway and jumped into the pond.
The fun didn’t last too long, however. There were a handful of police officers waiting for the streaker when he got out of the water. He was immediately handcuffed, and will likely never step foot on the grounds of TPC Scottsdale again.
A-Rod’s caddie
Around 5:00 p.m. every day I’m on-site at an event, I like to take a walk to the range. It’s always extremely quiet. There are maybe two or three guys hitting balls and a straggler or two might watch from outside the ropes. I ended up talking to Tanner Swindall, who is a junior at a nearby college. He’s attending as a fan this week, but he might’ve had the best gig of the week at Wednesday’s Pro-Am.
Swindall explained that he connected with the caddie master at TPC Scottsdale to get on a list of caddies for the WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am. And once you’re accepted, it’s pretty much first come, first serve. He arrived to the course at 4 a.m. on Wednesday and found out he’d be on Alex Rodriguez’s bag for the day. Not only did Swindall have a blast looping for A-Rod, but he was also given free tickets for the rest of the week. Not a bad gig!
Sahith’s entourage
I’ll never be a professional athlete, so I can’t really relate to Sahith Theegala. I also can’t relate to him because I don’t think my family would ever be willing to wear “Team Rogers” apparel for me, but his family and friends go above and beyond rooting for him on the course.
Thegala’s parents, girlfriend, family and friends all showed up to TPC Scottsdale on Friday ready to cheer on their guy. Some sported “Team Theegala” shirts, some rocked “Bunkers & Birdies #TeamTheegala” hats, and some wore both.
How fun is that? I’m guessing it also makes it easy for Theegala to spot his family and friends after each round, which is a huge plus at an insanely-crowded place like the WM Phoenix Open.
Nick Jonas
Just humor me for a moment here while my middle school self freaks out. I stood on the 16th tee for a while yesterday as players and some A-listers came through. I didn’t bat an eye when a handful of NFL players and their girlfriends and wives watched the pros tee off on 16, but the second Nick Jonas entered the stadium I began to freak out (internally).
Seeing him took me back to the days of calling my dad 15 times an hour at work to beg him to please get tickets to the Jonas Brothers concert in Boston. That’s right, my first concert was the “Lines, Vines, and Trying Times” Jonas Brothers Tour in 2009. Both Nick Jonas and I have come a long way since then.
Okay, folks. It’s time to head out to the course. Wish me luck as I take on what I expect to be the craziest Saturday in golf.