The Pebble Beach Pro-am returns to Monterey, California for another rendition and this could be the most exciting rendition of the historic event. The tournament usually has a few big names but never truly a loaded field, but this year it is completely different with the new addition of signature events on the PGA Tour. This time around, the field will be limited to the top 50 in final FedEx Cup points from the previous year as well a few other ways to qualify. This means we will be able to see people like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and nearly every other big name on the PGA Tour. Being known as one of the best courses in the world, Pebble Beach rarely sees this loaded of a field aside from when they host major championships.
Rory opens up as the favorite sitting at +750 followed by Scottie Scheffler (+800), Xander Schaufele (+1200), and Viktor Hovland (+1200). My pick is going to be Xander Schaufele at +1800. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Schaufele did nearly everything perfectly aside from putting. He finished top 15 in strokes gained around the green and approach to the green while finishing in first on strokes gained off the tee. He ended up finishing 72nd in strokes gained putting and it was clear this was what we struggled with the most. He was still able to finish T-9 despite the putting. A long-shot pick that I like is Denny McCarthy coming in at +8000. This is quite the long shot, but he has finished in the top 15 every time he has played in this tournament and is coming off one of his better seasons. Another pick I like is Patrick Cantlay at +1800. Cantlay has finished T-4, T-3, and T-11 the last 3 times he's played at Pebble Beach. He is coming off a rather disappointing performance at the Farmers Insurance but is hoping to rebound.
In 1937, Bing Crosby started the first Pro-am competition in Santa Fe, California. This continued as the Bing Crosby Pro-am took place at his home club up until 1947 when it was moved to the Monterey Peninsula and being played at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Cypress Point Golf Club, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Notable players have won this tournament with Jack Nicklaus winning the tournament 3 times in 1967, 1972, and 1973. Phil Mickelson, however, is tied for the most wins with Mark O’Meara with 5 wins throughout their careers.
Pebble Beach is easily one of the most famous and historic courses of all time, specifically in the United States. The course, opened in 1919, was designed by two amateur architects; Douglas Grant and Jack Neville. The course sits on what is one of the most beautiful pieces of land on the edge of the California coast on top of a hill. The course has 9 holes that are placed right on the water with views of the Pacific Ocean. The most notable hole on the course is the short par 3 5th hole which was designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus. The course has hosted many major tournaments, amateur championships, and other notable USGA tournaments. It is the most notable and famous U.S. Open course, hosting 6 of them in the past 50 years, as well as one PGA Championship.
The most memorable moment to happen at the course was during the 2000 U.S. Open where what would be known as Perfection at Pebble took place as Tiger Woods dismantled not only the course but the field as well. Woods finished with the largest winning margin in the history of the U.S. Open by winning by an outstanding 15 strokes at 12 under par. Being under par at any U.S Open is a feat in itself, but to be the only one under par and to win by 15 strokes was something never done before. This record still stands, and there has not been a single player to win a major by double-digit strokes besides Tiger (excluding major championships in the 1800s).