AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Preview & Picks

February 1, 2022

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Tough break last week as we had Luke List to finish top 40 and he wins the American Express outright.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am also features multiple courses with a cut after the third day. Unlike last year, amateurs and celebrities will be able to compete. It’s always one of the more popular events for the fans and provides some great content given the list of characters that “compete” here.

Now let’s breakdown this weeks event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and try to find some winners in this very lackluster field.

General Tournament Information:

Dates: February 3rd, 2022- February 6th, 2022
Location: Pebble Beach, California, United States
Format: 72 hole stroke play
- Thursday-Saturday: 3 Course Rotation (Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Monterey Peninsula)
- Sunday: Pebble Beach
Field/ Cut: 156 Pros & 156 Amateurs | Top 60 and Ties
Purse: $8,700,000 / Winner $1.566 Million
FedEx Cup Points: 500

Pebble Beach Golf Links (2 Rounds)

Course: Pebble Beach
Course Architect: Jack Neville/ Douglas Grant (1919)
Comparable Courses: Spyglass Hill, Monterey Peninsula, Port Royal
Course Type: Coastal/ Links
Par: 72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
Length: 6,972 yards
Greens: Poa Annua
Fairways: Poa/ Rye
Rough: Ryegrass 2″
Stimpmeter: 10.5 feet
Bunkers: 118
Water Hazards: — (In-Play on 1 Holes)
Average Green Size: 3,500 sq. ft.
Shot Tracker: Yes

Spyglass Hill Golf Course (1 Round)

Course: Spyglass Hill
Course Architect: Robert Trent Jones (1966)
Comparable Courses: Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula, Port Royal
Course Type: Coastal/ Links
Par: 72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
Length: 7,041 yards
Greens: Poa Annua
Fairways: Poa/ Rye
Rough: Ryegrass 2″
Stimpmeter: 10.5 feet
Bunkers: 62
Water Hazards: — (In-Play on 5 Holes)
Average Green Size: 5,000 sq. ft.
Shot Tracker: No

Monterey Peninsula Country Club (1 Round)

Course: Monterey Peninsula (Shore)
Course Architect: Bob Baldock/ Jack Neville (1960)
Comparable Courses: Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Port Royal
Course Type: Coastal/ Links
Par: 71 (5x 3’s / 9x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
Length: 6,957 yards
Greens: Poa Annua
Fairways: Bentgrass/Fescue
Rough: Ryegrass 2″
Stimpmeter: 10.5 feet
Bunkers: 89
Water Hazards: — (In-Play on 5 Holes)
Average Green Size: 6,000 sq. ft.
Shot Tracker: No

Course/ Tournament Overview:

In 2021, this event, along with other events that feature a Pro-Am format did not have any amateurs participate due to the ongoing pandemic. This year, they return to their normal format which will include several celebrities. As a Bills fan, I must note that Josh Allen will be making his debut at this event, and unfortunately, not be practicing for the Super Bowl… Okay, back to golf.

The Tournament was founded back in 1937 as the Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur. In 1986, the AT&T Corporation became the title sponsor and has been ever since. The tournament has rotated between several courses through it’s history but has stuck with the current three since 2010.

Course Guides/ Scorecard:

For the third week in a row, we see a tournament that utilizes multiple courses. However, this will be the last rotating course set-up we see this season. Players will rotate between Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Monterey Peninsula Thursday through Saturday, playing a round at each. Once they’ve completed a round at each course, the Top 60 golfers and ties will advance to Sunday for the final round which is held at Pebble Beach.

Unfortunately we don’t have shot tracker data for Spyglass Hill or Monterey Peninsula so we’ll have to rely on Pebble Beach. While this is a slight inconvenience, Pebble Beach is the only course that will host two rounds so it’s not all that bad.

Pebble Beach is only 6,972 yards making it one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour. That being said, due to the layout, it forces many players to layup on most holes. This course is all about setting up your approach shot as it has some of the smallest greens on Tour averaging 3,500 sq. ft. With the smaller green sizes, Greens in Regulation percentages are lower than the Tour average here. Given the importance of approach shots, driving accuracy is another key stat to pay attention to. Besides the tough layout, limiting long drivers and extremely small greens, the wind can also play a major role here as several holes are located on the coast. As of now, the wind doesn’t look to be too bad but if things change, it could make for a very difficult Sunday.

Spyglass Hill is the longest course of the three and can pose quite a challenge depending on the weather conditions. The 4 Par 5’s on the course are long but it does feature some very short Par 4’s that players will need to take advantage of. The greens average around 5,000 sq. ft. which in comparison, is much larger than Pebble. However, just like Pebble, second shots will be placed at a premium.

Monterey Peninsula is a course that wasn’t featured in this event last year. It was removed due to the ongoing pandemic as the PGA tried to limit exposure at multiple venues. This is the shortest course of the three that players will face this weekend. It features 5 Par 3’s and 4 Par 5’s, only having 9 Par 4’s which is an unusual set up. Given the yardage and set up, it should be the easiest course which will place an emphasis on going low here. All of the Par 5’s are reachable given a good shot off the tee and will provide plenty of scoring opportunities. The 5 Par 3’s are not particularly long either, so Par 3 Scoring will be another stat to check out this week.

With all of the amateurs in the field, the course will be slightly less difficult than it’s potential the first three days. Meaning, the rough won’t be grown out to it’s limits and the pin placements won’t be as hidden. However, on the final day where it’s just the pro’s, the pins will be in their most difficult positions creating an exciting finish. Even if the grounds crew and tournament limit some of the difficulty, they can’t control the wind, which will be the main line of defense for these three courses.

The the three possible course rotations will be as follows:

R1: Monterey Peninsula -> R2: Spyglass Hill -> R3: Pebble Beach
R1: Spyglass Hill -> R2: Pebble Beach -> R3: Monterey Peninsula
R1: Pebble Beach -> R2: Monterey Peninsula -> R3: Spyglass Hill

The Field/ Odds:

By no means is this a star studded field, in fact, it’s actually one of the worst besides maybe the John Deere Classic. There is only 10 of the Top 50 Players in the World competing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. You may be wondering, where is everyone this week? It has long been said that everyone has a price, and well, this week is the perfect example of that. Most of the top golfers are competing in the Saudi International this week where they all have reportedly received hefty appearance fees.

Now returning to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the field is headlined by Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger (2021 Champion), and Jordan Spieth (2017 Champion). Cantlay is the current favorite to win the event at around +750. He’s followed up by Daniel Berger, who is the defending champion at around +1200. Berger seemed to be in pain last week on Sunday in the American Express, so I’m not really sure what to make of him this week. Since he’s entered he obviously feels like he can compete, but a little something to be wary of if that back pain returns. Next is Jason Day at +2200, and the reason he’s one of the favorites is because of his course history. Dating back to 2017 these are his finishing positions in this event; 5-2-4-4-7. While he has never won at Pebble, he’s been a Top 10 machine here. Jordan Spieth is next on the list who’s currently around +2200 as well. Spieth has had success here as well, winning in 2017, and then finishing 9th in 2020 and 3rd in 2021. While the new father may not be in great form or his old self, he should fair well here given the strength of the field.

The top 10 is rounded out with Maverick McNealy (+2500), Cameron Tringale (+2800), Justin Rose (+2800), Seamus Powers (+3000), and Matt Fitzpatrick (+3500).

Notable Withdraws Include: Will Zalatoris (COVID-19), Hank Lebioda, Cameron Young, John Huh, David Lingmerth

Click the link, to see the most up to date odds.

Click the link, to find out how everyone in the field has qualified.

TV Information: