The 2014 Phoenix Open is rolling into its final day on Sunday, after setting the record for highest attendance at any PGA tournament. Former Arizona State University player, Phil Mickelson, falls short, and an ASU freshman made it to the big leagues.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, AZ is wrapping up, with Bubba Watson on top of the Leaderboard. Unfortunately, Phil Mickelson had some trouble focusing today. According to Yahoo! Sports, the former Arizona State University golfer was anticipating signing some footballs from his brother, the ASU golf coach, at the 16th hole. Phil admitted, "I think it's the last time I'm going to do that, because mentally I was thinking about throwing it a couple holes prior."
Meanwhile, an ASU freshman is getting his shot at his first PGA tournament. Ki Taek Lee, being so close to his school, had a huge crowd of peers to support him for his PGA debut. Golfweek.com spoke with Lee about the popular and pressured par-3 16th hole. He said although it wasn't full, since it was earlier in the week, it was still incredible. Lee went on to say, "Today, I barely hit it on the green, but guys were yelling, 'That'll work!' "
Saturday announced its attendance at 189, 722, which is now a single day record for a PGA tournament. It has become an all-out frenzy for ASU students each year, but especially this time around since they had one of their own Sun Devils to cheer on. Golf Digest reported that this year's record-breaking total had over 10,000 more people in attendance than last year's Saturday total.
The residents of Phoenix and all surrounding cities will be dressed to impress on Sunday for the final day, before watching the Super Bowl of course. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is becoming more and more reputable for its crazy antics, especially on the 16th hole.
Bubba Watson on No. 16 at The Waste Management Phoenix Open