The Irish Golf Club Gazette: @WMPhoenixOpen

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2/06/2016

Lowry Slips in Waste Management Open

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Shane Lowry closed his second day in Arizona with a round of 70 and dropped off the pace as James Hahn shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 in breezy conditions Friday to take the lead in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Hahn had a 10-under 132 total on TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course to enter the weekend a stroke ahead of Rickie Fowler and Danny Lee. Fowler birdied his final hole for a 68, and Lee had a 66.

"I'm having fun out there," Hahn said. "Making a lot of putts, hitting a lot of fairways, giving myself many opportunities to make birdie."

An estimated 160,415 fans, not counting a large bobcat that sauntered between the first and second holes in the afternoon, packed the grounds. The crowd broke the Friday record of 123,674 set in 2014 and was the 10th-largest figure for any day in tournament history.

Hahn is at home at golf biggest party, becoming an internet sensation in 2013 when he celebrated a birdie on the rowdy par-3 16th with a "Gangnam Style" dance. He won his first PGA TOUR title last year in a playoff at Riviera.

"It's good for golf, good for the game, good for the fans that come out here," Hahn said. "They support the golf tournament, so might as well give them a show."

Hahn opened with a chip-in birdie on the par-4 10th and birdied the two back-nine par 5s, making a 30-footer on the 13th and hitting a wedge to 7 feet on the 15th. On his final nine, he hit a wedge to 3 feet to set up a birdie on the par-4 second, chipped to 3 feet for another birdie on the par-5 third, and took the outright lead with a 10-footer on the par-4 sixth.

"Sleeping in my own bed this week, live about 10 minutes away," Hahn said. "I have played this course a hundred times. The only thing different about the course today, as any other day, is the greens are better."

Fowler rebounded from a three-putt bogey on the short par-4 17th with the birdie on the par-4 18th. A day after driving into the left-side water, he hammered a fairway wood down the middle and -- with music thumping in the background -- hit his approach to 4 feet.

"It wasn't playing easy," Fowler said. "The wind was kind of blowing from an awkward position. ... Just tried to stay patient, fight through it."

The top-ranked player in the field at No. 4, Fowler has four worldwide victories in the last nine months. He missed the cut last week at Torrey Pines after winning in Abu Dhabi the previous week.

Lee birdied five of his first eight holes, highlighted by a 20-footer on the stadium 16th. The South Korean-born New Zealander won The Greenbrier Classic last year for his first tour title.

"Wind was definitely in play today," Lee said. "It was a little bit different than yesterday. The greens being so firm, you're kind of forced to hit driver. You want to hit a shorter club on the second shot."

Harris English and Hideki Matsuyama (70) were 7-under.

Keegan Bradley, penalised two strokes Thursday for having too many clubs in his bag, was 5-under after a 69. Bradley and caddie Steve Hale didn't notice the extra club until after the first hole in the first round.

Bubba Watson shot his second straight 69. "I used the wrong words," Watson said. "I have nothing against the fans and the tournament. The fans have been great. I love coming here. I've lived here every winter for eight years. This is a beautiful place. ... I didn't explain myself well. My wife says that, too, when I go home. I don't communicate very well."

The two-time Masters champion tied for second the last two years and has shot par or better in all 36 of his career rounds in the event, playing to a cumulative 97-under.

Phil Mickelson was 2-under after a 71. The 45-year-old former Arizona State player bogeyed Nos. 14 and 15, hitting a hybrid approach into the water on 15.

"That kind of let the round get away," said Mickelson, the tournament winner in 1996, 2005 and 2013. "I'm looking forward to having another shot at this golf course tomorrow."

Four players were unable to complete the round because of darkness, with Bo Van Pelt the best of group at 5-under with two holes left. ... Brandt Snedeker, the winner Monday at Torrey Pines, was 4-under after a 71. ... Jason Dufner shot 71-74 to miss the cut in his first start since winning at La Quinta.

Paul Dunne looks set to miss the cut after a second round 71 left him one shot adrift of the mark.

Padraig Harrington mussed the weekend and will move to Pebble Beach after Friday saw him sign ffor a 72 to finish +4

2/05/2016

Lowry Wastes No Shots in Phoenix

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Shane Lowry fired a first round a 65 on a chilly Thursay at the Waste Mangement Phoenix Open to secure a three way share of the clubhouse lead with Rickie Fower and Hideki Matsuyama.

Lowry birdied seven of his first 13 holes, then bogeyed the next two.

"I got to 7-under and just became a little bit tense there," the Irishman said. "That's something that I need to work on. ... It's a bad mistake if you don't learn from it."

Fowler overcame some bad shots with Phil Mickelson compounding his mistakes and fell back.

After an hour-long frost delay at chilly TPC Scottsdale, Fowler played the first six holes in 5-under. A group behind, Mickelson took the lead at 5-under with a birdie on his eighth hole.

While Fowler finished with a 6-under 65 to tie Lowry and Matsuyama for the lead in the suspended first round, Mickelson had a 69 after dropping four strokes in a two-hole stretch.

"I made some good putts to start," Fowler said. "Just kind of got everything going. Made a couple of bad swings. Cost me a little bit, but other than that, nice way to get off to a good start."

Mickelson bogeyed the par-3 fourth after hitting short and right and failing to reach the green with his second, and unraveled with a triple bogey on the par-4 fifth. He drove out of bounds to the right, hit his second tee shot into the right bunker and three-putted from 50 feet.

"I hit a bad shot at the wrong time," Mickelson said. "It's the tightest hole out there. You miss the fairway 5 yards left, you're in the wash, in the hazard. You miss it right of the bunker, you're out of bounds. ... I'm not going to dwell on the one bad one because there were really a lot of good ones."

The best one was on the par-5 13th -- his fourth hole of the day -- when he hit a 252-yard hybrid approach to 2 1/2 feet to set up an eagle.

Winless in 48 events since the 2013 Open Championship, the 45-year-old former Arizona State player is working with swing coach Andrew Getson after splitting with Butch Harmon. Lefty tied for third two weeks ago at La Quinta in his season debut and missed the cut last week at Torrey Pines.

"When you don't score as low as you feel like you're playing, it can be frustrating, but for me, I find it to be more encouraging that I'm making a lot of birdies," said Mickelson, the tournament winner in 1996, 2005 and 2013.

Fowler also missed the cut at Torrey Pines after winning the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi the previous week. He has four worldwide victories in the last nine months.

"I know I have been swinging well and playing well," Fowler said. "I just didn't make anything last week."

Fowler opened with a birdie on the par-4 10th as the temperature crawled into the 40s, holing a 16-foot putt. He made a 35-footer on the 12th, two-putted for birdie on the 13th and made a 28-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th after hitting a 258-yard shot over the water.

"I had a good number in there," Fowler said. "Actually, put a 5-wood in play last week, a new one."

The top-ranked player in the field at No. 4, Fowler bogeyed the par-3 16th after drawing an awkward lie in the right bunker. He birdied the short par-4 17th, and bogeyed the par-4 18th after driving left into the water. On his back nine, he got up-and-down for birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-5 third and closed with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth.

Matsuyama was in one of the last groups to finish before play was stopped because of darkness.

India's Anirban Lahiri was a stroke back at 66, and Bryce Molder also was 5-under with two holes left. He was one of 33 players who failed to finish.

Bubba Watson opened with a 69. He tied for second the last two seasons.

Padraig Harrington signed for a 74

Paul Dunne was -1 overnight after the suspension ended his first round on the tenth hole.