A record day for golf ... did anyone notice?

While the rest of the sports world talks about last night's Super Bowl upset, I want to talk about the FBR Open that played out in Scottsdale, Ariz., this weekend.

I was over at my parents' house Saturday afternoon, hanging out with my stepmom in the back of the house when my Dad busted into the room, grabbed the remote and said, “Are you guys watching this show?"

Before we had time to object to him switching from our Lifetime drama (sad, I'll admit), my dad changed the channel and began telling us to pay attention to what was going on at the other sporting event in Arizona last weekend. And more specifically, the 16th hole.

For a minute I had to question if I was even watching golf. There was constant chatter on the course. If a player hit a bad shot, he was booed. The crowd was ferocious, showing no mercy or etiquette. Even Arizona favorite Phil Mickelson was booed after he knocked his ball in the rough Saturday.

Part of me couldn't help but be appalled at the sight and sounds coming from the 16th hole. I learned from an early age how to properly play and watch golf. You don't boo. You clap if the player deserves praise. You don't heckle and you remain perfectly quiet when a player approaches their ball.

But at the FBR Open, there's little etiquette in the green rafters. It reminds me of this guy I stood beside at the Masters. As Tiger Woods walked down the first fairway the guy beside me hollered, "Tiger, I'm a doctor. I know the sex of your baby. Boy or girl? Don't you want to know?" I moved my sunglasses over my eyes to hide. When Mickelson passed us by, he advised Phil to shed a few pounds and to get a bra for his "man boobs." I ducked my head into the collar of my jacket like a turtle hiding in its shell. I was mortified, but watching this weekend's play I thought the crowd made my annoying Masters neighbor seem like a perfect gentleman.

However, there seems to be a good side to all this mayhem. Saturday's play yielded the largest gallery in golf history with more than 170,802 onlookers. I think the game will stay the same -- if not better. But the sport is drawing new fans. Should golf traditionalists be upset if these newfound fans tend to be a bit rowdy?

I'm torn. Which is probably why when I watched Saturday, I simultaneously shook my head and laughed.