Crunch Time: Ben Crane’s eagle sets a strong tone for beer hole at Frys.com Open

Day three of the Frys.com Open is underway and the crowds are arriving to watch some good quality golf … and drink some beer.
The 17^th hole is getting lively today, as crowds are trickling in to root for half priced beer.
And they haven’t been disappointed.
Ben Crane started things off strong when he chipped in from 68 yards out for an eagle-two.
The beer stage went crazy and Crane looked up and waved to the crowd.
It was a great shot as his two playing partners Tim Clark and Ben Summerhays both missed their birdie putts, settling for par.
That set up four straight birdies on 17, each time starting a 10-minute clock for half priced beer.
The 17^th is an enticing hole, even without the added bonus of giving the crowd half-off beer. It is a reachable green, but is well protected by a trio of bunkers guarding straight-on and left approaches. A pond guards the approach from the right.
A steep hill also makes it hard to stop the ball near the pin.
As a result, of the first four groups to come through, five have tried to reach the green in one. All five missed the fairway, one narrowly missed the water and two landed in the sand.
Only one of those first five made birdie.
The air is warm and there isn’t much wind, so the temptation to drive the hole will be high, but it is a big risk-reward proposition.
This has been a mainstay at the Frys.com Open. The officials understand there’s going to be a little fun had inside the tent.
Overheard inside, “As long as they’re not jumping over the side and brawling, (the boss said) let them have a good time.”
Birdie, eagle, albatross … turkey?
CordeValle is a course nestled in the Hayes Valley with the country hills surrounding the resort.
This leads to some beautiful vistas and opportunities for viewing wildlife.
While deer are common along the hills, it were the turkeys who stole the show today.
On hole 18, 16 turkeys took a stroll along the fairway, oblivious to the tournament going on around them.
Checkout SoValleySports on Instagram for a photo of the turkeys as well as some behind the scenes photos of the tournament.