FanHouse FBROpen

What, you think that headline is ridiculous? You think I'm just blowing smoke because Kenny Perry, a ripe, old 48, won the FBR Open and I am -- like a lot of people do right after events conclude -- expanding upon this storyline more than I normally would just because he won?

Well, I'm not just making this up. The statistics are here to back me up.

Plain and simple, since June of 2008, no golfer has won more events on the PGA Tour than Perry. Zero people. None.

This weekend, FanHouse is out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As the shadows grew longer at TPC Scottsdale on Saturday, the fans become far less subdued. At this point, they've knocked back some liquid courage, they've been roasting in the abnormally hot January sun, and they're anxious to see someone stick it close from just 123 yards.

Nobody added to the seven career hole-in-ones on the 16th on Saturday, but a few hit it pretty darn close, including Jeff Maggert, who yanked his wedge back on this hole to near inches of an ace. Sitting in the stands, I got the full experience and while this video isn't exactly high-definition, it shows what it is like when someone hits a good shot.

This weekend, FanHouse is out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- If you want to see a man under pressure, go to a driving range and chat with Kenny Perry. If you're thinking the pressure Perry feels is the same as what he went through last year, however, you're wrong.

In 2008, Perry pressured himself to achieve one goal -- play the Ryder Cup in Kentucky, his home state. He proceeded with a "Damn everyone and everything, I'm going for what I want" mentality that ended up working out better than expected.

But this year is a completely different monster.

Update: Ryan Moore did, in fact, just win the Wyndham Championship, mostly sponsor-free as well.

FanHouse is at this weekend's FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Earlier Friday we posted a story about Ryan Moore and his interesting outfits. The guy has pimped a headband during a round, a pink V-neck sweater in the desert and Puma shoes (the kind you and I would wear to the bar) affixed with golf spikes.

His golf bag has no name brands, his hat, with the short bill, has no Ping or Oakley written on the front. His clubs aren't the newest, cutting-edge brand; he has an assortment of Titleist wedges and a Titleist putter, Callaway irons, Ping three-woods, and an Adams hybrid and driver.

This weekend, FanHouse will be out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- I'm all for pushing the envelope. Dudes wearing chick-jeans, girls wearing their boyfriends' Jinco Jeans; it is all good. What I'm not sure about, however, is this headband look that Ryan Moore sported at the Justin Timberlake Shriner Tournament last year, or the outfit he was wearing on Friday at the 2009 FBR Open that was a little too Bagger Vance for my tastes.

This weekend, FanHouse will be out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- You might not know who Webb Simpson is. To be honest, he looks more like a caddy friend of mine over in Scotland than he does a PGA Tour superstar. Young, wavy hair, with a baby face, Simpson is new on tour in 2009.

If you don't know who he is, you will soon find out. Simpson, just 23, is on a roll, finishing t-9 at the Sony Open to start his season and followed that up with a t-5 at the Bob Hope.

How do you carry that momentum to the FBR Open? By holing out for eagle on your first hole of the week.

This weekend, FanHouse will be out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- If you didn't already know, this is a make-or-break year for lefty Phil Mickelson. The guy struggled (relatively) in '08 and in his first PGA Tour tournament this week at the FBR Open, wants to do anything and everything he can to prepare himself for the first two majors, at courses he enjoys (Augusta National and Bethpage Black).

So how did Mickelson fare on his first hole of '09? With a nasty double-bogey that makes even the leftiest of people frown.

This weekend, FanHouse will be out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For some odd reason, I have always been a fan of Briny Baird. Ever since the time I ran into him at a gas station during The Colonial and told him "Good luck tomorrow" after which he just stared at me with an astonished, "How the hell does this kid know who I am?" look on his face, I've been rooting for the Baird.

Today at the FBR Open, Briny shot a bogey-free 67, with four birdies spread out over his round and answered a few questions after the round. You get the generic stuff, like "they've pinched the fairways" (made them tighter) and "they're trying to toughen it up," but this was one of my favorite quotes of all time.

This weekend, FanHouse will be out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- You need to understand something. That headline? Yeah, it is all relative to the FBR Open.

No, the wind isn't blowing hats off of the golfers, but it is a little brisk for this part of the country. And after walking the course a little bit, I noticed a few things.

This weekend, FanHouse will be out at the FBR Open, a tournament known more for its party atmosphere than its golf.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Walking into the press area Thursday, two things stand out. First, there's more free Diet Coke than John Daly could consume in a week. Secondly, there's also a large poster presenting the attendance for the past two years. Rowdy crowds, you see, are what the FBR Open is about. If the Masters is Beethoven's 5th Symphony, the FBR is a Slipknot concert (random golf trivia: the lead singer of Slipknot is actually a darn good golfer).

The FBR prides itself on attendance, bringing in a record 538,356 spectators in 2008 alone. Yet with all the talk of golf struggling with the economy right now, the FBR appears to have taken a hit too.