It's Friday at the Phoenix Open. That means the beginning of wild weekend crowds — and also a crucial round on the golf course, as players vie to make the cut and position themselves for a weekend charge. The weather forecast remains just about perfect, a welcome relief after last year's Phoenix Open chaos involving bad weather and bad behavior. After one round, 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark led the field at 7-under but stumbled late in his second round. The heavy pre-tournament favorite, Scottie Scheffler, shot just a 2-under 69 on Thursday but began the day Friday on a roll. Through 11 holes of his second round, Scheffler had climbed to a tie for 13th and, by the close of his day was in contention at 7-under for the tournament.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Emiliano Grillo sets off a crazy celebration with a hole-in-one at the 16 th hole
Emiliano Grillo fired his way into the Phoenix Open history book with one stroke during Friday’s second round. Grillo’s tee shot went skyward and landed in the cup, rattling around for a hole-in-one. Grillo immediately celebrated with his caddie and Rafael Campos, one of the golfers in his group, while beer showered the hole. When the group traveled to the hole, Grillo took the ball out of the hole and showed it to the crowd. Grillo is the 12
th golfer to have a hole-in-one since the WM Phoenix Open was first played at the Stadium Course in 1987. Carlos Ortiz and Sam Ryder in 2022 were the most recent golfers to do it.
Bonkers bunker for Berger
Daniel Berger ended Friday tied for fourth after carding a 65, and the only holes that gave him trouble were 16 and 18. He bogeyed both. Berger, playing in the same group as leader Thomas Detry, landed in the sand trap to the right front side of the green at 16 with his tee shot. But he made an impressive recovery. It took Berger two sand wedge shots to blast out of the bunker, and the second one could hardly have been better. It landed two inches from the hole. He then tapped the ball in for his 4.
Max Homa antagonizes Diamondbacks crowd with Los Angeles Dodgers jersey
It doesn’t matter to Max Homa that Walker Buehler isn’t on the Los Angeles Dodgers anymore and signed with the Boston Red Sox this offseason. Much to the dismay of the Arizona crowd, he’s still going to represent the blue. Buehler and Homa have
become friends over the years and regularly talk. Buehler even participated in the 2022 Annexus Pro-Am, but was paired with Viktor Hovland instead. Homa, who resides in Scottsdale and grew up in Southern California, represented his longtime Dodgers fandom by putting on Buehler’s Dodgers jersey at the 16
th hole. Homa entered the 16
th hole at 6 over par after a tough start in the first round. Friday's early wave of players was led by Wyndham Clark, who shot 8 under and was tied for the lead through 12 holes of his round.
Rickie Fowler withdraws due to illness
Rickie Fowler is often one of the headlining acts of the open. Even nearly a decade after his peak, Fowler draws large crowds. Fans follow him wearing his signature bright orange Puma gear. This week, that party was cut short. Fowler withdrew from the tournament on Friday morning due to illness. The decision came after he shot a 3-over 74 on Thursday, putting him well behind the cut line. Fowler's most notable move of the week came with his attire on Thursday. He showed up wearing a full camouflage outfit — which created an amusing TV visual when he
found himself in the bushes after one wayward drive . Fowler won the Phoenix Open in 2019 and finished tied for 10th in 2023 but has now failed to make the cut in four of the past five editions.
