Waste Management Phoenix Open 2012: Kyle Stanley’s Redemption

The roles were reversed for Kyle Stanley this week and that was probably for the best. Just one week ago, Stanley blew a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole, carding an eight to drop into a tie for first. He entered into a playoff with Brandt Snedeker, then proceeded to lose a tournament he held a firm grasp on all week.

This time around, it was Stanley reeling in the man in first after three rounds. Heading into the final 18 holes, Spencer Levin held a six-shot lead over the field at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but suffered a fate somewhat similar to Stanley.

Spencer Levin held a six shot lead over Webb Simpson, and seven shots over Bubba Watson heading into Day 4 of the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He appeared to be on his way to a runaway victory, but a charge by Kyle Stanley is threatening to make things interesting. Through 12 holes on Sunday, Stanley has shot 4-under to pull within two shots of Levin, who is at 2-over through eleven.

Things started off well for Levin. He made par on his first two holes before making birdie on the third. He bogeyed three times over the next nine holes, giving the rest of the field new life. Stanley has made birdie four times on the day.

The third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open is underway, and it’s “go green” day at TPC Scottsdale. Fans and players were encouraged to wear green as a show of support for the environmental initiatives the title sponsor promotes. All of Saturday’s early morning tee times will need to go low, as they look to make up ground on second round run-away leader Spencer Levin. The California native had a breakout year in 2011 and carried a 6-shot lead over Harrison Frazier into the weekend as he looks for his first PGA Tour victory. He will need to fall apart over the weekend and come back to the field, or someone will have to duplicate his 63 to make this interesting on Sunday.

Rickie Fowler is another young dynamic star looking for his first tour win. He’s trying to make a charge at Levin, and was two under through the first four holes. But Fowler went bogey-bogey at five and six to fall back to even. He’s still 10 shots back so he will have to set a blistering pace over the final two-thirds of his round to get into contention on Sunday.

Saturday was “Green Out” day at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which basically means fans and golfers are wearing green to remind everyone just how environmentally friendly Waste Management, everyone’s favorite landfill operator, really is. (It’s not all marketing schtick: the Thunderbirds, the civic organization that hosts the Phoenix Open, is donating money for every fan wearing green to the non-profit Arizona Clean & Beautiful.)

In any case, golfer Bubba Watson (no relation, sadly) joined the fun, tweeting pictures of his green outfit today ... complete with a mistletoe belt buckle, because why not. Check it out after the jump.

The 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open heads into Day 3 with Spencer Levin atop the leaderboard, at 14-under. In second place with a cumulative 11-under is Harrison Frazar, followed by John Huh and Webb Simpson, both tied for third place at 8-under. With 7-under is Kyle Stanley to round out the top five competitors thus far.

The Phoenix Open will be televised nationally on CBS on Saturday from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. ET/ 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. PT

Spencer Levin finished at 8-under on Day 2 of the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open to take a 6-shot lead over his next closest competitor. He birdied six holes before recording an eagle on a par 4 hole 17 to solidify himself as the tournament’s leader. John Huh and Webb Simpson are in second place at 8-under for the tournament, shooting 5-under and 2-under Friday, respectively. Simpson has only shot through four holes, however.

Ryan Palmer came as the leader on the day, but shot 1-over to fall back into a six-way tie for fifth place at 6-under. He was inconsistent all day, recording four birdies and five bogeys through 18 holes. Bubba Watson sat two shots off the lead heading into the day, but also finds himself in the muddle of players tied for fifth along with Ben Crane, Bo Van Pelt, Jason Dufner and Harrison Frazar.

Round 1 of the Phoenix Open didn’t quite get completed on time, with play suspended due to darkness, but the majority of players got through their rounds. The first round will resume on Friday morning, early enough for the second round to tee off on time. Ryan Palmer leads the field at seven-under par, with some big names close behind him.

Bubba Watson sits at five-under par through 15 holes and will complete his round early in the morning. Phil Mickelson finished his round at three-under, and Dustin Johnson also sits at three-under after having completed all 18 holes. Some players have as many as six holes left to play on Friday before they complete their rounds.

The 2012 edition of the Waste Management Phoenix Open is about to get underway. The event is typically the rowdiest and best-attended tournament of the year and the players are sure to be giving the crowds plenty of reasons to cheer. Mark Wilson won last year’s event and returns to defend his crown. Eight other former winners will also be in competition, including Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh.

Play begins on Thursday at 10:30 AM ET and coverage will be provided on The Golf Channel beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

The PGA Tour may sometimes seem stodgy and uptight to casual fans, but the Waste Management Phoenix Open is the exception to the rule. It’s perennially the best attended tournament of the year, with hundreds of thousands of fans, including a lot of Arizona State college students, turning Scottsdale’s Tournament Players Club into one giant party.

Jarrod Lyle rewarded the fans with a hole-in-one at least year’s event, but the most memorable ace belongs to Tiger Woods in 1997 when the event was still called the FBR Open. Watch the first 30 seconds of this video: