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Tournament Stats:
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AmFebruary 8 - 11, 2007
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hills, & Spyglass Hill GC
Pebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach (Home Course) Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,799
Spyglass Hill - Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,862
Poppy Hills - Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,833
Purse: $5.5 million, winner receives: $972,000
Defending Champion: Arron Oberholser (not in field because of back problems) List of Champions & Scores
Results & Scores of 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach
Tournament facts:
Tournament Record:268 (Mark O'Meara in 1997)
54-Hole Record:
196 (Phil Mickelson in 2005)
36-Hole Record:
129 (Phil Mickelson in 2005)
Low round of tournament:
62 (Luke Donald in 2006, Phil Mickelson in 2005, Matt Gogel in 2001, David Duval in 1997, and Tom Kite in 1983)
Individual Course records:
Pebble Beach - 62 by David Duval in 1997, Tom Kite in 1983Spyglass Hill - 62 by Luke Donald in 2006, Phil Mickelson in 2005
Poppy Hills - 62 by Matt Gogel in 2001
Tournament information:
This is the 66th edition of the AT&T Pebble National Pro-Am Tournament is played at three courses, Pebble Beach (which is the host course), Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills. In the first three rounds of the 72 hole event, pros play one round at each of the three courses used with an amateur partner and a cut is made after 54 holes. The final round is played at Pebble Beach. Of all the tournaments on the PGA Tour, only four have pro-am formats. The AT&T has the distinction of being the only one of theses that the amateurs could play all four rounds with the pros. The AT&T is really two tournaments in one. The biggest field of the year (180 pros) are paired with an amateur partner and play the first three rounds together. After 54 holes a cut is made with approximately 25 low teams making it to the final day at Pebble Beach.Course information:
Pebble Beach Golf LinksPebble Beach, Calif.
6,816 yards Par 36-36--72
Course has a 74.4 rating and slope rating of 142 fron the championship tees Pebble Beach Golf Links is resort and open to the public.
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Course designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant in 1919, Revised in 1928 by Henry Chandler Egan. Between then and 1997 there were little minor changes done to the course. But in 1998 the biggest changed happend when the par-three 5th hole was rebuilt. The redesign was done by Jack Nicklaus and the hole was relocated about 100 yards away, along a 50-foot cliff over the pacific. At a cost of $3 million, the new hole could be one of the most expensive holes that hold a PGA Tour event. Its funny to compare the cost. $3 million for one hole in 1999, the total cost to build the course in 1919 and that included the money spent on at the time was the first automatic sprinkling system in golf was a mere $66,000.
The course is situated on the Monterey Peninsula, its 120 miles south of San Francisco, Pebble Beach is considered the most spectacular golf course in all the world.
Despite it official name, the course is not a true links course because it is set on craggy cliffs above Carmel Bay. Eight of the holes skirt the coastline and it's these holes that distinguish Pebble Beach.
The land was owned by Samuel Morse, who was the nephew of the inventor of the telegraph and Morse code. Morse had an eye for the natural beauty of the Monterey Peninsula and bought 7,000 acres of the Penisula, including seven miles of Pacific oceanfront for $1.3 million in 1915. Morse then formed the Del Monte Propertes company and had a vision of a resort with a golf course on prime acreage that ran along the bluffs above Carmel Bay. Instead of selling the ocean front property for homesites, Morse built his golf course. One of his real estate agents was Jack Neville, who won the California Amateur Championship and even though Neville had never built a course before, Morse decided to give him a chance to handle the design. Neville asked another California Amateur Champion, Douglas Grant, to help him on the project and they spent a month routing the 18 holes.
In 1918 the course was opened for play, but in the inaugural competition the course was deemed to be unplayable for the average golfer and was closed for revision. Neville and Grant softened it up and in 1919 it was again open for play.
Over the course of the next ten years the course was modified by Neville and Grant, and in 1928 H. Chandler Egan, Robert Hunter and Roger Lapham strengthened the course for the 1929 U.S. Amateur. Since then the course has remained basically the same, except for the redesign of the fifth hole, which is certainly an endorsement of the sound design of Neville and Grant.
Nine holes at Pebble are set along the rocky shores of Carmel Bay. They are the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 17th and 18th. The 18th hole is considered by many as the best finishing hole in golf. It was originally a par 4 of 379 yards until Egan changed it into a par 5 of 550 yards.
Pebble Beach has held many tournaments, the U.S. Open (1972, '82, '92, 2000 and in 2010), the PGA Championship (1977), four U.S. Amateurs (1929, '47, '61 & '99), the 1989 Nabisco Championship and is the host course for the annual AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am which at one time was the Bing Crosby.
The average green size at Pebble is 3,580 square feet which makes the greens the smallest that are used on the PGA Tour. The course has 92 bunkers and water comes in play on nine holes along the Pacific.
Other courses used in the rota:
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Pebble Beach, Calif.
6,855 yards Par 36-36--72
Course has a 75.3 rating and slope rating of 148 fron the championship tees
Course is resort and open to the public.
Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1966. The course was the built thanks to Samuel Morse who had orginally thought of building it as part of the Lodge at Pebble Beach. The course was to be called Pebble Beach Pines Golf Club but Morse changed it to Spyglass Hill. That was in part due to his friend Robert Louis Stevenson who got his inspiration for his book Treasure Island while visiting the area in which Spyglass was built.
Spyglass is a mix of several different courses. The first five holes go down through sand dunes and offer magnificent views of the Pacific. The next couple of holes play back into the pines, still offering ocean views. The last nine you wouldn't even know that the ocean is a mile away, the holes play through Monterey pines. Spyglass is a totally different course than Pebble. While the greens at Pebble are small, those at Spyglass are large and undulating. Weather is a big part of Pebble, while it can be blowing up a storm there, Spyglass which is just a couple miles away could be calm. When Spyglass first opened up it annually would drive the pros that played in the Crosby crazy and would be among the hardest courses on Tour. It's still one of the toughest courses on tour but the course has soften with time and now there is nothing but praise about the course.
Poppy Hills Golf Course
Pebble Beach, Calif.
6,833 yards Par 36-36--72
Course has a 74.8 rating and slope rating of 143 fron the championship tees
Course is public, owned by the Northern California Golf Association
Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and was opened in 1986. Its a good course that for years got mangled because it had the tough act of joining the AT&T rotation in 1991 at the expense of Cypress Point. Yes, its no Cypress Point but its still a great test of golf.
The course is long and tight, with large undulating greens that are well guarded with bunkers. Course is different, since it has five par 3s and five par 5s. Every hole has been craved through thick Monterey Pines, which most of the holes doglegging. There is also lots of slopes at Poppy Hills and its sometime impossilbe to get a level lie. Look for the pros to produce their lowest scores here, espically if the weather gets bad.
The Buzz:
Back to Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula for another edition of the AT&T. For the players it's a chance to play among the celeb's, the deer, the pretty scenery and on one of the greatest courses ever built. At the same time the rounds will be long and tedious plus another item that isn't in the best interest of golf, bad weather. In this part of the region at this time of year it's got a special name, "Crosby Weather", an ominous title.
| Those that won the most "Pro-Am" events, the Hope, the AT&T, Fry's.Com & Disney: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Starts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark O'Meara | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Miller | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arnold Palmer | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phil Mickelson | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tiger Woods | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Cook | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes some poor weather is moving into the are according toWeather.Com which will bring an added element to things, have to play good golf while not only player with amateurs but in rounds that will take between five to six hours on courses that will be sloppy with bumpy greens. Oh the joy of the AT&T and they wonder why Tiger didn't join them.
Some other buzz is being created by Phil Mickelson, who hasn't been very stellar this year as his short game still thinks it's on vacation. Of course he says that he is going to work on that part of his game but in looking at some other parts of his game his stats aren't that stellar like ranking 85th in greens hit, 76th in driving accuracy and 142nd in scrambling. If you give Mickelson a 75th for his position in the FBR after making the cut he has averaged finishing 57th in his three events this year. Since 1993 his first west coast swing as a professional the only time he has averaged higher in west coast swings was in 2002 when he averaged 66th, but he had very dismal finishes in the two events he missed the cut in.
Lastly a couple of retirements this week, first we all know of Tom Watson who won the AT&T in 1977 and '78 plus the U.S. Open in 1982. Watson, who had played in every AT&T between 1972 and 1995 plus three others, is returning for the first time since 1999. He is doing so to play in this event for the last time and his amateur partner will be his son Michael. We know that winning is probably out of reach for the 57 year-old but we can only hope that he plays well and that him and Michael can contend in the pro-am portion and make it to Sunday. Another retirement that many probably don't know about is Matt Gogel, who won the AT&T in 2002 and after playing on the tour full time since 2000 is calling it quits to play. With a family and his game not as sharp as it use to be he will devote time in a Ohio-based sports agency and dabble in the golf-development business. Gogel has played in 176 events and his first venture on the PGA Tour was at Pebble Beach in the 1992 U.S. Open which he missed the cut in. He first got his name of fame playing the Asian Tour, while at the 1996 Indian Open in Calcutta he met Mother Teresa in the 2000 AT&T. He got on the PGA Tour in 2000 because he finished 7th on the Nationwide money list the previous year and almost won the AT&T that year, having a seven shot lead with 11 holes left disappear with a Tiger Woods charge. It was only fitting that he came from behind to win the 2002 AT&T. So it's only fitting that he retires from the PGA Tour at the place were it all got started and the place for his 15 minutes of fame.
Here are some things to look for this week:
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For some the AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am is the greatest. Played at one of the most speculator places in all the world, the Monterey Peninsula, on two of the greatest courses in the world Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. On top of that the Monterey Peninsula offers a lot to do with great places to go like the Monterey aquarium, some great restaurants and bars plus you can't meet a walk around the village of Carmel after the tournament is over. Another item that makes the AT&T stand out is the format, the first three days are played over three courses, Pebble, Spyglass and Poppy Hills. Each pro is paired up with an amateur partner and play along with another "team". There are 180 "teams" so this event gives a wider availability for pros getting into this event. Now for some pros this sounds great, getting a chance to play these great courses and with an amateur that is a leader in business or a celebrity in the entertainment field.
For others this isn't their cup of tea, playing with amateurs plus being in foursomes that create six hour rounds. Still it's a staple on the PGA Tour, of the 48 events only four, this one, the Bob Hope, the Fry's.Com Open and Disney let amateurs play alongside professionals. The AT&T is even more special because a cut is made on Saturday and the low 25 amateurs will play on the final day.
Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the FBR Open:
- Key stat for the winner: With this brings on some special problems, it takes a lot of patience to endure this week with amateur partners. Another problem is the luck of the draw, someone could be playing at Poppy Hills which is tree lined and may not get the brute of a heavy wind that some players encounter at Pebble Beach. For some that play in the late afternoon the conditions of the greens get dicey, especially since Poa Annua greens get bumpy and hard to predict. So it takes a special breed of player to endure this.
- Unimportant stat: Interesting to point out that since 1990 most of the AT&T champions are veterans in this event and to pro-ams, the only exception being Brett Ogle in 1993. Matt Gogel, winner in 2002 was also a young pro but he had the experience of leading the AT&T in 2000 to help him. The point here, don't look for any inexperienced players winning here, in it's history going back to 1950 only one pro has won on his first visit to Pebble and that was Ogle.
- Now this doesn't rule out the fact that a rookie could win. Look at the last couple of winners on the PGA Tour, nobody could of foreseen Paul Goydos, Charley Hoffman and Aaron Baddeley winning. Things happen in golf just like Phil Mickelson breaking one of the longest jinx's in golf when in 2005 he became the first winner to lead after the first round and win since John Cook did it in 1981. Mickelson also became the first wire-to-wire winner of this event since Tom Shaw did it in 1971 so anything could happen in golf.
- Talking about Charley Hoffman, if you think that a good bet this week would be Hoffman, who won the only pro-am event this year, think again. In the 48 years of the Hope nobody has ever won both the AT&T and the Hope in the same year.
- Greens at Pebble are very small, so look for the winner to hit lots of greens.
- Putting is always a key at the AT&T especially since the tricky poa annua greens tend to get very bumpy in the afternoon. Those that are able to deal with it will be ahead of the game mentally.
- Look for someone that either hits lots of greens or putts very well to win. He also has to play very well over the weekend, that seems to be the key with the rest of the winners. One last item, scrambling is very important and that is almost as important of a stat as hitting lots of greens. With small greens at Pebble look for short game wizardly to do the job.
- Weather is always a factor in the AT&T. It's hard to predict what the weather is going to be like on the Monterey Peninsula but it's looking wet for this week. With that look for those "mudders" who have the reputation of playing well in adverse weather. One of the biggest "mudders" is Tim Herron who always seems to play well in wet conditions.
- Lastly and very important, to win you have to make sure that you play well at Spyglass Hill. In a way that is the hardest of the courses and a good round there gives you a big advantage. Perfect example was in 2005 with Phil Mickelson, he opened up with a 62 at Spyglass, shattering it's scoring record and was able to build upon that great round.
Just look at the last seven winners, you can see a trend that in the last five years the winner has done great at Spyglass: Year Champion Score at Spyglass 2006 Arron Oberholser 68 in 2nd round 2005 Phil Mickelson 62 in 1st round 2004 Vijay Singh 68 in 2nd round 2003 Davis Love III 67 in 3rd round 2002 Matt Gogel 67 in 3rd round 2001 Davis Love III 71 in 1st round 2000 Tiger Woods 73 in 2nd round 1999 Payne Stewart 73 in 3rd round
