Of all the legendary holes on the PGA Tour schedule — the island green, No. 17, at TPC Sawgrass and the final hole of Amen Corner, No. 13 Azalea, at Augusta National are the first that come to my mind — there is absolutely (or is it Absolut-ly?) nothing like No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale.

The 162-yard, par-3 amphitheatre packs a 20,000-plus drink-mixing, coed-mingling crowd into a stadium setting more reminiscent of a Florida-Georgia college football “cocktail party” than a golf-clapping PGA event.

A crisp 8- or 9-iron on the green is rewarded by a high-fiving, rowdy uproar. A chunker off line will be booed, heckled and harassed by young and old Phoenicians alike. But that is all part of the Mojito-fueled mystique of the sweet 16th.

“A lot of people don’t come here because of that hole. They won’t play here because they don’t want them yelling at them and stuff,” said defending champ Kenny Perry, who carded three birdies in four tries on No. 16 en route to a 14-under 270 and three-hole playoff win over Charley Hoffman last year.

“But yet all in all, most of the guys really enjoy it. It’s only one hole a year. We really don’t have this kind of atmosphere anywhere else on the PGA Tour.”

This week, Perry aims to become the first back-to-back champ at the Waste Management Phoenix Open — formerly known as the FBR Open (2004-09) and Phoenix Open (1972-2003) — since NBC golf guru Johnny Miller repeated in 1974 and ’75. And the laid back Kentuckian is ready to roll.

“This is probably one of my top five tournaments on Tour,” said Perry. “I always look forward to this week. To me the golf course is a golf course that’s just fun to play. I like going out there and playing. It’s not overly long. There’s a lot of risk-reward holes out there, and it’s just fun, the atmosphere with the galleries and with the famous 16th hole.”

The Valley of the Sun usually hosts its PGA stop on Super Bowl Sunday. This year — for only the third time in the desert host’s history — the event will not rival the NFL’s big pregame show for ratings. With NBC televising the Vancouver Olympic games, CBS has taken over television coverage of the event.

And due to the lack of Super Bowl parties this weekend, organizers are expecting even more of a gallery guzzling crowd than 2008’s record 538,356 four-day total — which also included Thursday (83,657), Friday (120,891) and Saturday (170,802) records.

“Golf courses cannot handle 100,000 people on it like this course can,” said Perry. “Most courses we play, it’s impossible. … So the design of this golf course is very unique and it’s very special.

Given the Woodstock masses, warm weather, flowing cocktails and frat party vibe, TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole has become infamous among both players and officials on the normally conservative golf crowd. But much like the city itself, the Waste Management Phoenix Open walks a fine line between scorching heat and unbearable conditions.

“We’ve had years where we’ve had some concerns, you know, pushing the edge a little bit much in terms of the atmosphere that’s created,” said Commissioner Tim Finchem.

“A big event with an awful lot of people, have tremendous enthusiasm for the play, significant decibel levels, but at the same time maintain an atmosphere that the guys can play golf, and that’s not an easy challenge. …

“I think if you talk to the players who are here this week, they really do enjoy their experience here. So we’re very comfortable with what’s happening now.”

Fan favorites could crowd surf if they wanted; those on the other end of the spectrum may never return to No. 16 after one or two shanks are booed, gonged or spit at. That, however, is the nature of the beast. Feast or famine is king. And either way, there’s nothing on Tour that compares and few spectacles in all of sports that can compete.

“Walking through that tunnel going to the 16th tee, there’s nothing like it that I see throughout the year. It’s just a special tournament,” said ranking non-Tiger Tour member Phil Mickelson. “It provides an experience that you just don’t get week in and week out.”

Lefty the legend won his first career Tour event in-state, at Tuscon as an amateur at Arizona State in 1991, and continues to be a local hero. A two-time winner (1996 and 2005) of the event, Mickelson returns to the tee after taking a family vacation. And there’s no place like home — even if that is a 7,216-yard, par-71 course with a $6 million total purse and $1.08 million winner’s share.

“I really enjoy playing here in Phoenix. I lived here for many years and have played these golf courses for so many years that the people here just make it a special event,” said Mickelson. “I’d love to be in the last group coming down the stretch on Sunday.”
 
The crowd would be thrilled, Phil. And they would let you know — as only Phoenix can.