![On the first day of the Waste Management Phoenix Open held at TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona, on the 5th (Korean time), the gallery was limited to 5,000. The galleries that entered following strict quarantine rules are enjoying the game while maintaining a distance near Hall 17. [AFP = 연합뉴스]](https://i0.wp.com/file.mk.co.kr/meet/neds/2021/02/image_readtop_2021_124427_16125255624532781.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
On the first day of the Waste Management Phoenix Open held at TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona, on the 5th (Korean time), the gallery was limited to 5,000. The galleries that entered following strict quarantine rules are enjoying the game while maintaining a distance near Hall 17. [AFP = 연합뉴스]Justin Thomas (USA), who recently came to the fore with a homophobic expression, suddenly released an address after trying to tee shot at the 18th hole. This is because someone in the back gallery made a sound. The moment Thomas, who entered the second address, tried to shoot, a noise came from the gallery again. After stepping back again, Thomas’s ball only teeed off after the third address, and eventually headed to the right rough.
The best protagonist of the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open (total prize money of $7.3 million), which opened at TPC Scottsdale (par 71) in Scottsdale, Arizona, on the 5th (Korean time) is numerous galleries. Not only are loud shouts, but also drinking and booing are allowed, and the 16th hole (par 3) with a 20,000-seat stand is considered the most notorious par 3 in the PGA Tour. That is why the Phoenix Open, where 600,000 to 700,000 galleries gather, is also called the golf liberation zone.
The fact that it received spectators three months after the Houston Open in November last year would also be a struggle to bring out the unique characteristics of the Phoenix Open. Moreover, it was necessary to create an issue that could make up for the fall of PGA star stars such as Dustin Johnson and Bryson Dishambo to Saudi International, a European professional golf tour with enormous money.
![At the Phoenix Open in the US on the 5th (Korean time), a sign saying'Please use a mask' instead of'quietly' attracted attention. [AFP = 연합뉴스]](https://i0.wp.com/file.mk.co.kr/meet/neds/2021/02/image_readmed_2021_124427_16125255624532782.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
At the Phoenix Open in the US on the 5th (Korean time), a sign saying’Please use a mask’ instead of’quietly’ attracted attention. [AFP = 연합뉴스]The atmosphere of the competition, which decided to limit the number of spectators to 5,000 or less per day, was not as loud as before, but it was certainly different from the non-audience competition.
Whistling and shouts were heard all over the course, and there were quite a few galleries in famous athletes, and players who were disturbed by shots appeared.
The 16th hole wasn’t as loud as it used to be, but the crowd booed out on some players’ tee shots. When Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who first appeared at the Phoenix Open, took a chip shot from this hole to the green, a fan shouted “Welcome to the 16th hole, Rory!”
McIlroy, who wanted to experience the atmosphere of the 16th hole, said, “I think I should experience the real Phoenix Open at least once,” and “I will definitely come back when things are more normal.”
Among the five Korean players participating in this tournament, Lee Gyeong-hoon (30) shot the hottest shot. Lee Kyung-hoon, who hit a 5-under-par 66 with 6 buddies and 1 bogie on this day, is looking forward to the season’s highest ranking as a tie for 6th. Lee Kyung-hoon’s best performance in 12 competitions this season is a tie for 19th at the Sony Open last month.
As soon as he started with the 10th hole (par 4), Lee Gyeong-hoon, who caught a pleasant birdie, cut one more stroke on the 13th and 15th holes. In the 17th hole (par 4), he added a 2m birdie and reduced 4 strokes in the first half.
In the second half, Lee Kyung-hoon, who continued his buddy march on the 3rd hole (par 5), wrote down his first look at the 6th hole (par 4), but made up for it on the next hole (par 3) and raised the rankings. On this day, Lee Kyung-hoon only escaped the fairway twice, and the green boasted an excellent shot feeling that he never missed.
Mark Hubbard and Matthew Nismith (above the United States), who scored 8-under 63 strokes, took the lead, and Zander Shopley (USA) tied for sixth place with Lee Kyung-hoon. Jordan Spice (USA) tied for 12th place (4 under par 67 strokes), while Yon Lam (Spain) and Brooks Kepka (USA) tied for 21st place (3 under par 68 strokes). Kepka, who had been eliminated from cuts one after another in three recent competitions, recorded a long-awaited 60 at-bats after hitting 69 twice at the Masters in November last year.
Ahn Byung-hoon (30) hit 2 under par 69 with 4 birdies and 2 bogies (with 37 at the same time), while McIlroy and Thomas tied for 50th with 1 under par 70. Kim Si-woo (26), who won the American Express last month, was tied in 70th place (even par 71), and Lim Seongjae (23) also had a sluggish day with a tie of 86th place (1 over par 72). Kang Sung-hoon (34) also tied for 129th (6 over par, 77 strokes).
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