2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open: Tee times, pairings for Friday’s 2nd round

There are 132 players in the field at the Phoenix Open, but you wouldn’t really know it if you watched the first round on Thursday. That’s because all the oxygen and air time were sucked up by one player, Tiger Woods. The 14-time major winner made his 2015 debut at TPC Scottsdale, the rowdiest venue on the PGA Tour and a place he had not visited in 14 years.

Every Woods movement and shot was chronicled Thursday afternoon, and it wasn’t pretty. He started his year 4-over through his first four holes and looked completely uncomfortable around the green, often choosing a mid-iron or putter to chip up like some high-handicapper playing a weekend game at the local muni. At one point, only three players in the field had a worse score than Tiger. He made the turn and avoided a total disaster of a round with a back nine that included an eagle and a birdie to get to 2-over and in a tie for 106th place.

But Tiger is going to have a lot of work to do to make the weekend in his first event of the year. Woods will play his second round largely in obscurity and out of view of the TV cameras, teeing off at 9:57 a.m. ET and before 8 a.m. local on the 10th tee. That means he’ll be at the rowdy 16th hole bright and early, before the fans have worked themselves into a full lather. He had to back off his ball twice there on Thursday, and didn’t look comfortable in that wild coliseum setting. If he doesn’t get under-par on Friday, this may be the last time he plays the hole for awhile.

While Tiger will play his round before the broadcast comes on the air, the local favorite, Phil Mickelson, will be out on the opposite side of the draw with Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan. They tee off No. 1 at 2:07 p.m. ET and will headline TV coverage and whip up the Friday afternoon crowds in Scottsdale. Mickelson will be one of the final players to come through No. 16, when it will be at its loudest and most crowded.

Phil started his tournament going the wrong with with a bogey on his first hole and a bad double on a par-5. But as he always does, he snuck his way out of trouble and got into the house in 2-under and in the top 30. The West Coast swing is typically a portion of the schedule where Mickelson shines, and the Phoenix Open is a big part of that past success. The ASU grad is coming off his worst season and getting on the board early in 2015 would be a nice way to recover.

Mickelson seemed to think he might be on the favorable side of the draw, with some rain potentially softening up the course for the afternoon tee times on Friday. If he starts going low, that may mitigate the possible loss of Tiger after just two rounds. Here’s the full tee sheet for Friday’s second round (all times ET):