SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | As Argentine Emiliano Grillo stood over his ball with a pitching wedge at the 16th hole during the second round of the WM Phoenix Open, he tried to tune out the usual noise and heckling from fans dressed in hockey jerseys, bananas and lederhosen. He could faintly make out conversations between fans in the surrounding stadium seats who were betting if he’d put the ball on the green. Focusing, he hit the ball, watched it fly through the air … and slam-dunk into the cup for an ace. Grillo and the crowd erupted.
“It was very loud,” Grillo said. “It was a lot of emotions. I didn't know what to do, there was a lot going on. I just loved watching the beer go onto the green.”
Grillo’s was the ninth ace on the 16th hole since 1991 and the first since the 2022 tournament, when Carlos Ortiz and Sam Ryder each scored one.
While rowdy fans make this hole perhaps the loudest in all of professional golf, the hole itself is not very difficult from a scoring standpoint. Since 2020, the tournament scoring average on the hole has been under par three times, and it has ranked as the easiest par-3 on the course twice. Despite the scores, the fans in the stadium make the 16th one of the most mentally challenging and impactful holes in golf.
“I think the crowd pressure can really expose you. We’re hitting a wedge but you really don’t want to hit a bad shot when there’s thousands of people watching.”
Kris Ventura
“The hole is not very long,” Grillo said. “I think you hit 8-iron at the most from a back tee to a back pin. It’s the situation that you’re in, a lot of people, people yelling in your backswing, they want you to miss the green. There’s a lot of betting going on.”
This year marked Grillo’s 10th consecutive WM Phoenix Open start. Grillo says the experience has definitely helped, as he’s learned that he doesn’t need to be overaggressive.
“Par is always a good score,” Grillo said. “You're always trying to play your smartest and trying to give yourself an opportunity. That’s all we're looking for.”
In 34 rounds at TPC Scottsdale, Grillo is 4-under par on the 16th hole. He has an ace, seven birdies, 22 pars, three bogeys and one double bogey.
Grillo’s good performances on the easily intimidating hole are not an anomaly. From 2020-24, the scoring average on 16 at TPC Scottsdale has been easier than the average par-3 score on the PGA Tour. Including 2025, the 16th hole has never been harder than the third hardest par-3 (out of four) on the course by scoring average.
Despite 16 not being a very difficult hole from a scoring standpoint, the hidden mental pressure put on the players by the fans cannot be understated. If the tee shot is off the green, you get booed. If you miss a putt, you get booed. For first-time WM Phoenix Open participants, this can be intimidating.
“I think the crowd pressure can really expose you,” said Kris Ventura, who earned back his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season through the Korn Ferry Tour. “We’re hitting a wedge but you really don’t want to hit a bad shot when there’s thousands of people watching.”
Ventura says the crowd pressure can force players to play a little more conservatively and aim for the middle of the green. Despite being a Phoenix rookie, Ventura performed well on 16, going par-birdie-par-par. Ventura avoided the boos, and says he enjoyed the “newlywed” chants by fans because he got married last week. It was also a great learning experience.
“This is as good as it gets and as crowded as it’s going to be,” Ventura said. “I’m going to take this as really good mental practice. If you want to play on the big stage and the big tournaments, this is what you need to get used to.”
Consistently good performances on 16 are crucial to becoming champion. The last winner to record a bogey on the 16th hole was Hunter Mahan in 2010 during the second round. Mahan still finished the 16th under-par for the tournament, recording birdies in Rounds 1 and 4. In fact, since 2001, there have been only two bogeys by winners. Not a single one of these winners finished the 16th hole over-par for the tournament.
“If you learn to embrace it, then you can have fun with it.”
Jordan Spieth
Thomas Detry, who won the tournament by seven strokes, played the 16th hole 2-under par. His dart of a tee shot to just over a foot during the final round set up a birdie that punctuated his triumph.
“I didn’t really feel any pressure at that moment,” Detry said. “My mind didn’t rush there.”
For the players, the stats don’t quite do the 16th hole justice. Because of the noisy crowd, it’s a “hard-easy” hole. Even a crowd favorite like Jordan Spieth, who finished T4 on Sunday, recognizes its difficulties.
“If you learn to embrace it, then you can have fun with it,” Spieth said. “Honestly, (the crowd) makes that hole a lot harder. That scoring average would be lower if it weren’t for what the Thunderbirds do to set that hole up the way it is.”
E-MAIL EVERETT
Top: Sungjae Im of South Korea plays his shot from the 16th tee during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images