Valley golf fans relinquish that come hither stare, the PGA Tour pros are here in town as the FBR Open gets into full swing. If you weren’t fortunate enough to play hooky on Wednesday and take in all the celebrity-filled fun out on the grounds of TPC Scottsdale, I’m here to act as your eyes for the tournament. As with every celebrity Pro-Am, there is always on showstopper who steals all the attention. Wednesday’s gallery fancied following the pairing headed by PGA Tour player Chad Campbell and Comedian/Actor George Lopez. As the eternal fan’s celebrity, Lopez joked around with the crowd and kept spirits high for the several hundreds of fans that followed him. 

Well-known to frequent many of the Celebrity Pro-Am tournaments throughout the year, Lopez has been especially prominent at the FBR Open over the last few years when he has been the biggest celebrity name to grace the tournament’s practice round and has consistently drawn the largest galleries. Here, Lopez (in the middle of the fairway) is pictured preparing his approach shot into the par-4 fifth hole at TPC Scottsdale. His playing partners included Luke Wilson and MLB star, Mark Grace. 

Wednesday’s celebrity line up also included; actor, Josh Duhamel, star of NBC’s Las Vegas and recent newlywed to Black-eyed Peas front woman, Fergie; Luke Wilson, actor and younger brother of Owen Wilson who has appeared in box office hits like Legally Blond and Old School; and Pro-Surfer Kelly Slater, currently the reigning champion of the 2008 ASP world rankings.

 PGA Tour players who took part in the celebrity Pro-Am included: Anthony Kim, Mike Weir, Mark Calcavecchia, current FBR Open Champion J.B. Holmes, Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson, Camillo Villegas and Scottsdale residents Geoff Ogilvy and Fred Couples. The remaining players in the field clouded the practice range and short game areas at TPC Scottsdale, preparing to make their way around the course later in the day.

 Proving the FBR Open’s draw even more so is its ability to attract high-profile figures to the venue, who aren’t even playing in the celebrity tournament. Upon perusing the practice facility early this morning and downing a Thunderdog a little after 10 a.m., I noticed a trendily dressed young guy with a familiar face. After close examination it turned out to be Frankie Muniz, 23-year old actor and star of the Fox hit, Malcolm in the Middle. In addition to the PGA Tour pros, who knows what other famous faces will be cruising the FBR this weekend- one things for sure… I’ll be there to find out.

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