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Brandt Snedeker will return to defend his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
• COURSE: Pebble Beach Golf Links, 6,828 yards, par 72. No list of America’s best courses would be valid without Pebble Beach at or near the top, with the PGA TOUR making an annual visit since 1947. Using the spectacular Carmel Bay as a backdrop, amateurs Jack Neville and Douglas Grant were meticulous in building as many holes as possible along the craggy Pacific coastline. Though Pebble Beach hosted the first of five U.S. Amateurs in 1929, it took until 1972 for the U.S. Open to become its first professional major. Four more Opens have followed, along with the 1977 PGA Championship. Spyglass Hill GC (6,960/72) and Monterey Peninsula CC’s Shore course (6,873/72) also are used in the first three days of pro-am play.
• FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points.
• CHARITY: Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which has handed out nearly $130 million in charitable contributions since the Pro-Am’s 1937 start. Last year, the tournament distributed more than $9 million to more than 200 organizations.
• FIELD WATCH: World No. 1 Jordan Spieth and No. 3 Jason Day join defending champion Brandt Snedeker in a lineup boasting 12 of the top 25 players in the current Official World Golf Ranking. … Six of those are ranked among the top 10, bolstered by the Pebble Beach debuts of Bubba Watson and Justin Rose. … Phil Mickelson, a four-time champion, returns after a one-year hiatus caused by a conflict with his children’s school break. That ended a run of 20 straight appearances in the tournament. … Paul Dunne, who held a share of The Open Championship lead after 54 holes last year, and fellow new pro Ryan Ruffels will play on invitations.
• 72-HOLE RECORD: 265, Brandt Snedeker (2015).
• 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Charlie Wi at Monterey Peninsula (1st round, 2012). Pebble Beach record: 62, Tom Kite (3rd round, 1983), David Duval (3rd round, 1997). Spyglass Hill record: 62, Phil Mickelson (1st round, 2005), Luke Donald (1st round, 2006).
• LAST YEAR: Snedeker toured the courses with just one bogey all week, breaking his own scoring record to capture the title for the second time in three years. One shot back to start the final round, Snedeker took advantage of a two-shot swing at the par-3 fifth hole to pull even. A photographer’s click disrupted Nick Watney’s tee shot, leading to bogey while Snedeker rolled home a 15-foot birdie. It was the first of three bogeys in a five-hole stretch for Watney, allowing Snedeker to pull comfortably away. A closing 67 left Snedeker at 22-under-par 265, two shots better than the mark he set two years earlier. Watney (69) was three shots back, matching the lowest score by a non-winner.
• STORYLINES: Another Snedeker victory would not only make him the sixth to go back-to-back at Pebble Beach, but just the second to win three in four years. Mark O’Meara did it in 1989-90 and ‘92 as part of his record five titles on the Monterey Peninsula. … Mickelson can join O’Meara atop the overall list with a victory, which also would be Lefty’s 20th in a West Coast Swing event. … Spieth, Snedeker and Jason Dufner are among five entrants with a chance to become the first multiple winner of the 2015-16 season. Russell Knox and Peter Malnati are the others.
• SHORT CHIPS: This year’s celebrity list includes newcomers Mark Wahlberg and Toby Keith, which helped lure partners Watson (Wahlberg) and Steve Stricker (Keith). Justin Timberlake returns after a six-year hiatus, prompting Rose to sign up. … Other celebs: Musicians Jake Owen, Colt Ford, Huey Lewis and Kenny G, actors Andy Garcia, Ray Romano and Josh Duhamel, NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith, pro surfer Kelly Slater. Alas, no Bill Murray. … Gene Littler is the only man to win titles in both the professional and amateur divisions – first in 1954 as a 23-year-old amateur, then 21 years later on the pro side.
• TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS).
• PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. ET (Featured Groups), 3-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups).
• RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m. ET; Saturday, 1-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM).
and here we are at Pebble Beach, enjoy the tourney, love the course, 18 gives me nightmares
Bobcat still going strong at the top of the standings
Good Luck this week, only 60 days until we tee it up at the first major of the year.
