The 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale rightly gets a lot of publicity for its unique atmosphere, but the two holes that sandwich 16 on the scorecard are two of the most interesting holes on the PGA Tour.
The 15th is a reachable par-5 with an island green and the 17th hole is a drivable par-4 whose green practically falls off into another water hazard. While making a 3 on the 16th hole may earn the admiration of 20,000 screaming fans, what players do on 15 and 17 likely will have a greater impact on their respective scores.
On Thursday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Chesson Hadley was biten by both the 15th and 17th holes. After finding the water with his second shot on 15 and subsequently making a bogey, Hadley handled the stadium hole well — he made a par — before driving the green on 17th.
From there, disaster struck again as his eagle putt fell off the left edge of the green and into the water.
Chesson Hadley with a nice eagle try on 17… turns into a double bogey! @RiggsBarstool @BarstoolTrent @FrankieBorrelli @ForePlayPod pic.twitter.com/PZapFRb4ti
— John C (@HashtagJohnC) January 31, 2019
Hadley dropped on the fringe and was unable to get up-and-down for his bogey, carding a double-bogey 6.
It wasn’t all bad news for the pro from Georgia Tech, however. Following his first round of even par 72, Hadley exacted his revenge during round two, birdieing the 15th hole and eagling the 17th en route to a 6-under par 65.
Through 54 holes, Hadley is at 7-under par for the tournament, 13 strokes behind Rickie Fowler.
