Jon Rahm played a PGA event last week in the 2023 calendar year and didn’t win at one of his most iconic courses at Torrey Pines. That is a good thing for parity after Rahm had taken the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the American Express to start the new year – although Rahm did get another top 10 in San Diego with a T7.
Max Homa came out on top last weekend at Torrey Pines with a -13 to cash at +2200, the 7th lowest odds on the board. Now the Tour heads to iconic Pebble Beach, where Tom Hoge tries to defend his 2022 victory in a somewhat diluted field that features just ten players in the top 50. Here are the favorites:
Jordan Spieth +900
Pebble Beach might be one of Jordan Spieth’s favorite venues. Aside from the win here in 2017, he’s rattled off three straight top 10s, including third place in 2021 and a runner-up last season. Spieth saved par on the scenic eighth hole last year by shooting a shot with one foot off a cliff, so he’s very comfortable here.
Spieth has had two weekends off after a T13 at the Sentry but then missing the cut at the Sony Open even after being the first-round leader. AT&T sponsors him, so this is a big event for the Texan.
Matt Fitzpatrick +900
Spieth is the +900 favorite for Pebble Beach Pro-Am betting, but Matt Fitzpatrick comes into this event with the highest OWGR ranking in the field at #10. The 2022 U.S. Open winner has played one of the four events in 2023, finishing seventh at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Fitzpatrick finished sixth at Pebble Beach last season, shooting all four rounds under 70. That was a big jump after missing the cut and placing 60th in his first two starts in this event.
Viktor Hovland +1100
Viktor Hovland played the Saudi International on this weekend last year, taking sixth, but is back to Pebble Beach in 2023, putting rumors to rest (temporarily) that he’s headed to LIV. Hovland has been somewhat outspoken about the LIV and the subsequent PGA Tour schedule changes, but it’s time to let his play on the course do the talking as the second-highest OWGR player in this field (11).
Maverick McNealy +1800
Maverick McNealy has the fifth-lowest scoring average on the Tour so far this season (69.3), but it didn’t equate to much success last weekend at Torrey Pines, with just a T31 finish. McNealy did place T7 at the Sony Open, his sixth trip inside the top 20 in nine events so far in 2022/23.
Tom Hoge +2000
Tom Hoge picked up his first career victory at Pebble Beach last season, holding off the crowd favorite Spieth by two strokes. Hoge got hot with the pressure on with three birdies in his final five holes, a big difference from 2021 when he played in the final group on Sunday but faded to 12th after a 71 over the last round.
