Mickelson returns for Fry's Electronics Open
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2007 Fry's Electronic Open | Preview | 16 Oct 2007
The name, Fry, remains in the spotlight this week when the Fry’s Electronics Open is played at the Tom Fazio designed Grayhawk golf Club in Scottsdale Arizona. The website arm of the Fry organisation which is a major electronics retailer, sponsored last week’s event in Las Vegas for the second consecutive year and the company has expanded their involvement in the PGA Tour to two events in 2007.
The Grayhawk Golf Club, opened in 1994, has previously hosted events such as the Anderson Consulting World Match Play and Tiger Wood’s Target World Challenge but this season will host a fully fledged PGA Tour strokeplay event for the first time. The tournament will be held at the Raptor Course, one of two at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
The tournament is being played in Scottsdale for one year only before moving to the Institute Golf Course in Morgan Hill, California next season. That course is currently undergoing major changes with a view to staging a PGA Tour event.
Phil Mickelson is playing the event mainly because of his close commercial association with Grayhawk. He has been noticeably absent from the PGA Tour at this time of the year in recent seasons so to a large extent he is emerging from hibernation to support one of his sponsorship partners.
In a further dramatic change of scheduling for Mickelson he will also play in next week’s Singapore Open and the following week will play the HSBC Championship in China. As a player often maligned for his lack of willingness to travel, this is a refreshing change for the world number two.
Mickelson has not played a tournament since the Presidents Cup where he played a key role in the United States victory. On a golf course he will know well and in a region where has often played well he must have a good chance to confirm his favouritism.
Aaron Baddeley is another who enjoys the Scottsdale area not only because he lives there but because he won the FBR Open earlier in the season at the nearby TPC Scottsdale. Baddeley, the second highest world ranked player in the tournament, has come of age in the past eighteen months on the PGA Tour and is currently Australia’s highest money earner on the PGA Tour in 2007. He stands a good chance to topple Mickelson and others this week.
Surely Bo Van Pelt’s time is near. The last few weeks have seen a series of good finishes from him and he gets another chance this week on a golf course that should suit him.
Now that Justin Leonard has found winning form once again he should be a factor this week. His win in Texas two weeks ago was impressive but he had shown in one or two prior events that he was closing in on that win.
Steve Flesch is a player who has won two out of his last six events and has a good record in Scottsdale. The left hander is a likely contender this week as is another leftie in Mike Weir who appears to have been boosted by his inclusion in the Presidents Cup Team and his good showing there. He was 10th last week in Vegas and his form in 2007 is not quite as bad as many would make out.
John Mallinger is having a great rookie season and although he missed the cut last week in Las Vegas he could well bounce back and join the many first time winners in 2007.
One player sure to generate interest, perhaps not as a potential winner but as a player on intrigue, is David Duval who returned to the PGA Tour after a break of more than seven months at the recent Viking Classic. He made the cut there which was an achievement in itself and the return to tournament golf for the former world number one is good for the game.
Robert Allenby is the next highest ranked Australian after Baddeley but he has not played as well in the second half of the year as he did in the first although the last few starts have been a little better. Other Australians include Nick Flanagan, Mathew Goggin, Stephen Leaney, Andrew Buckle, Gavin Coles, Jarrod Lyle, Michael Sim, Mark Hensby and Paul Gow.
