The PGA Tour returns to the Monterey Peninsula this week for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which will be played in its traditional format after Covid-19 forced the event to play with just professionals in the field on two golf courses instead of the usual three.
This week, the amateurs return as well as spectators for the tournament that Bing Crosby founded in 1937 and that has been played at Pebble Beach since 1947.
It takes place over the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club, with each professional paired with an amateur partner for the first three rounds.
Unlike other Pro-Am events, the top 25 teams in the pro-am standings qualify to play on Sunday regardless of the cut status of the professional partner.
Celebrities, business leaders, and athletes make up most of the amateur field and are one of the big television draws for the tournament, as well as the stunning views that are provided from one of the most beautiful venues in the world. The players rotate through all of the courses during the first three rounds, with all of them finishing at Pebble Beach for Sunday’s final 18 holes.
Daniel Berger is the defending champion after he rolled in a 30-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole to defeat Maverick McNealy by two strokes following a closing seven under par 65. The runner-up finish is tied McNealy’s best on Tour, while Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay tied for third, a shot behind McNealy.
Last week, Luke List picked up his first PGA Tour win in his 206th career event, defeating Will Zalatoris on the first hole of sudden death in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. List jumped to fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings, which are led by two time 2021-2022 winner Hideki Matsuyama.
Betting Odds
Cantlay has finished third and 11th in the last two AT&T Pro-Am events and is the odds leader at +700. The defending champion, who also recorded a top-five finish in 2020, is next at +1100, followed by Zalatoris at +1800 with Jason Day, who has five consecutive top-five finishes in the tournament at +2000 along with Jordan Spieth, the 2017 winner of the event.
Justin Rose, who had a resurgence last week at the Farmers, is at +2200, while Cameron Tringale has odds of +2500, followed by McNealy at and Seamus Power at +2800.
Other players of note include Nick Taylor, the AT&T Pro-Am winner in 2020, and Stewart Cink at +8000, along with long-time NBC golf analyst and former winner Peter Jacobsen with odds of +1,000,000 at the age of 67.
Betting Favorites Picks
Will Zalatoris knocked on the door last week but fell just short of getting his first PGA Tour win when his birdie putt on the 72nd hole skirted the edge of the cup. He has a strong game, and eventually, quite possibly this week, he’ll break through and grab that initial victory.
Last week, former PGA champion Jason Day showed signs that his physical ailments may be coming to an end as he found himself tied for the lead on the back nine of the final round. He ended up one shot out of the playoff and hasn’t finished worse than seventh in the AT&T Pro-Am in the last five years.
McNealy already has one runner-up finish this season, and he was also in the hunt last week. He faded to a final round 75 to end up tied for 30th, but he has consecutive top-five finishes at Pebble Beach, which has boded well for future winners in this event.
