Golf fans aren’t exactly known as a boisterous bunch, but the folks at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale certainly break that mold. The crowd on the 16th hole are particularly notorious for being a rowdy bunch.
Oftentimes that reputation comes from poking fun at players or booing those who can’t hit the green on the short par-3 hole. Something was different on Thursday, though, as Bubba Watson took to the 16th tee — and it was all of his making. Before the tournament began Watson didn’t hold back his thoughts on the “goofiness” of the course changes. From USA Today:
“I don’t like it,” he said Wednesday after the pro-am. “I’m not going to PC it. I don’t like it at all.
“I didn’t see any reason to change it,” Watson said. “Again, they didn’t ask me. It’s just my own opinion. I didn’t see any reason to change it. … So to me it just seems like all they did is tightened it up. It just makes it goofier and tougher, which is not fun for us. We came here for a reason. We came here because we want to play golf and shoot good scores. … I didn’t see there is a reason to change something that’s not broke.”
Wonder how Bubba Watson will be welcomed at the 16th hole today after his negative comments about the #WMPhoenixOpen course
— Paola Boivin (@PaolaBoivin) February 4, 2016
The fans responded to the critical comments in the only way those at the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open could — booing, and booing loudly throughout his tee shot and rest of the hole.
https://vine.co/v/iJUZ3g1JmaL
Watson didn’t seemed phased, calmly placing a tee shot in prime position on the green and knocking in a birdie on the hole. He would end the round 2-under par, four back of the leaders before play was suspended on Thursday for darkness.
