Players who will rock this week at ‘Pebble’
It’s the 100-year anniversary of Pebble Beach Golf Links, one of the most iconic courses in the world. This week, it will host the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, founded by Bing Crosby in 1937, which for the 10th year in a row will be played on the three-course rotation of Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club-Shore Course.
In light of its centennial celebration, Pebble Beach also will play host to the U.S. Open this June. Thus, many of the top players are there this week to get a look at what is to come this summer.
Pebble Beach is not a monster course in terms of length. The fairways are wide, the rough can be nasty in spots and the greens are some of the smallest on Tour. Each of the three courses in the rotation feature Poa Annua greens, so like Torrey Pines, we will want to look at who putts well on this type of surface. Hit greens in regulation, scramble, score on the Par 4s and putt well on Poa Annua, and you should have yourself a winning combination.
The course will be wet because rain is in the forecast on and off throughout the week. And there will be a steady breeze in the neighborhood of 13-14 mph. So let’s add good wind player or “mudder” to the aforementioned combination of skills.
THE PLAYS:
Dustin Johnson (5/1): It is an awfully low price, but the No. 3 player in the world probably deserves it. He nearly won the U.S. Open here in 2010 and did win the AT&T earlier that same year as well as in 2009. He has finished second and third here the last two seasons and comes in off a victory last week at the Saudi International. Phil Mickelson (22/1): Mickelson’s history at Pebble Beach, like Johnson’s, is littered with wins and top-10 finishes. Also like Johnson, Mickelson is a top performer on Poa Annua greens. He nearly won the Desert Classic last month and currently ranks third on tour in par 4 scoring. Branden Grace (30/1): This is just Grace’s second time playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Last year, he took 20th. He finished second in Phoenix last week with four rounds in the 60s and has shown to be an excellent U.S. Open player with two top-5 finishes in the last four years. Matt Jones (3/1-field at William Hill, 150/1 or more elsewhere): This will be the Australian’s 12th straight time playing this event. He loves Pebble Beach and it shows. He has missed the cut only twice and finished in the top 15 four times. The biggest reason for his success is likely his ability to putt on Poa Annua greens — and that showed up just two weeks ago at Torrey Pines, where Jones finished 13th.