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Tournament Stats:
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AmFebruary 7 - 10, 2008
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hills, & Spyglass Hill GC
Pebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach (Home Course) Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,816
Spyglass Hill - Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,858
Poppy Hills - Par: 72 / Yardage: 6,903
Purse: $6 million, winner receives: $1,080,000
Defending Champion: Phil Mickelson
List of Champions & Scores
Results and Scores of 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach
Box Scores of 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach
Tournament facts:
Tournament Record:268 (Phil Mickelson in 2007 & 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 67th edition of the AT&T Pebble National Pro-Am. The tournament is played at three courses: Pebble Beach (the host course), Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills. In the first three rounds of the 72-hole event, the pros play one round at each of the three courses 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 three have Pro-Am formats. The AT&T has the distinction of being the only one of theses where the amateurs could play all four rounds with the pros. The AT&T is really two tournaments in one. Each player in the biggest field of the year (180 pros) is paired with an amateur partner and plays with that partner for the first three rounds. After 54 holes a cut is made with approximately the 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
The course has a 74.4 rating and slope rating of 142 from the championship tees Pebble Beach Golf Links is resort and is open to the public.
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The course was designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant in 1919. It was revised in 1928 by Henry Chandler Egan. Between then and 1997 there were minor changes done to the course. But in 1998 the biggest changed happened when the par-3 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 on the PGA Tour. It's funny to compare the cost. The cost was $3 million for one hole in 1999, but the total cost to build the entire course in 1919 (including the money spent on what was, at the time, the first automatic sprinkling system in golf) was a mere $66,000.
The course is situated on the Monterey Peninsula, 120 miles south of San Francisco. Pebble Beach is considered the most spectacular golf course in the world.
Despite its 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 the Morse code. Morse had an eye for the natural beauty of the Monterey Peninsula and bought 7,000 acres of the Peninsula, including seven miles of Pacific oceanfront for $1.3 million in 1915. Morse then formed the Del Monte Properties 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 oceanfront property for home sites, Morse built a 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 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 10 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 Beach (the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 17th and 18) are set along the rocky shores of Carmel Bay. The 18th hole is considered by many as the best finishing hole in golf. It was originally a 379-yard, par 4 until Egan changed it to 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) and the 1989 Nabisco Championship. It is also 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 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 rotation:
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Pebble Beach, Calif.
6,855 yards Par 36-36--72
The course has a 75.3 rating and slope rating of 148 from the championship tees
It is resort and is open to the public.
The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1966. The course was the built thanks to Samuel Morse, who had originally 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 due in part 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 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 softened with time and now there is nothing but praise for the course.
Poppy Hills Golf Course
Pebble Beach, Calif.
6,833 yards Par 36-36--72
The course has a 74.8 rating and slope rating of 143 from the championship tees
It is public and owned by the Northern California Golf Association
The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and was opened in 1986. It's 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, it's no Cypress Point, but it's still a great test of golf.
The course is long and tight, with large undulating greens that are well guarded with bunkers. It is different since it has five par 3s and five par 5s. Every hole has been carved through thick Monterey Pines, with most of the holes doglegging. There is also lots of slopes at Poppy Hills and it's sometimes impossible to get a level lie. Look for the pros to produce their lowest scores here, especially 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 celebs, 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phil Mickelson | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Miller | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arnold Palmer | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tiger Woods | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Cook | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Now for a change of pace the weather looks like it's going to be near perfect according toWeather.com. The only problem is that it won't be very warm, with highs of only 67 or so with a possibility of some rain over the weekend, but that is very slim.
The big buzz is the rash of withdrawals on Monday and Tuesday as Briny Baird ,Steve Marino, Jesper Parnevik, Cameron Beckman, Neal Lancaster, Steve Flesch all withdrawing. Kirk Triplett, who has yet to make a 2008 start due to along recovery from shoulder surgery from last year, was also a scratch along with Chez Reavie, Brain Gay and Arron Oberholser, who hasn't been able to play this year and because of aninjury last year wasn't able to defend his championship.
On the other end of the spectrum, Davis Love III, who has been sidelined since September after having ankle surgery, returns a month early and says that he is ready to go. Love told Dave Shedloski of PGA Tour.com that his trainer and physical therapist have worked hard with him and that he is in great physical shape and hitting the ball well. He is 78th on the World Rankings, the lowest he ever has been and the chances are very slim of him moving up in the standings into the top-65 for a place in the WGC-Accenture World Match Play Championship, unless he has a top-three finish this week.
Also making their 2008 PGA Tour debut is Padraig Harrington, who has suffered from a case of the Shingles and we don't know what shape he will be in, plus seniors Greg Norman and Craig Stadler. For Norman it will be a lot of fun because his amateur partner is his son Gregory, who is really looking forward to the week. On top of that, Norman is still a great draw and people love to see him play. I don't think he will contend, but he won't play terrible either.
With a huge field of 180 pros, a lot of youngsters get a shot. This week we'll see Kevin Streelman, who had a great first and second round in San Diego, getting to play with Tiger Woods on Saturday before falling back into a T29th. Streelman has family ties in the Carmel Valley area and for the last five years he has tried to Monday qualify for this event only to come up short. This time he won't have to worry.
One big disappointment this year is crowd favorite Bill Murray, who is shooting a movie in Ireland and wasn't able to attend. He has become the heart and soul of this tournament and will be missed. Also not attending this year will be New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, who are both in dark rooms hitting themselves in the head after letting a perfect season slip through their grasp.
Lastly, we have to talk about the weather in January and what it has done to the courses. They are very plush right now and with nearly 100 yards added to Poppy Hills, including 50 yards to the par-five 4th hole. All of the courses will play tough this year, especially Poppy Hills. In January seven inches of rain fell on the Monterey Peninsula as the area experienced one of the worst storms it has seen in decades during the first week of January. With winds reaching 80 miles per hour, more than 30 trees toppled at both Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills while Pebble Beach experienced very little damage.
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. It is 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 visit like the Monterey Aquarium, some great restaurants and bars, plus you can 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 plays 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, because playing with amateurs, plus being in foursomes, can create six-hour rounds. Still, it's a staple on the PGA Tour. Of the 48 events being played this year only three, this one, the Bob Hope and Disney, allow amateurs to 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 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am:
- Key stat for the winner: The AT&T Pebble Beach 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 on the very same day. 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 and Matt Gogel, who won in 2002 and was also a young pro but never had the experience of leading the AT&T in 2000 to help him. The point here is not to look for any inexperienced players winning here. In its 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 have foreseen Daniel Chopra, D.J. Trahan and J.B. Holmes winning. Things happen in golf, like Phil Mickelson breaking one of the longest jinxes 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. To show that this wasn't a fluke, Mickelson was a co-leader last year after the first three rounds before his victory.
- Speaking of D.J. Trahan, if you think that a good bet this week would be Trahan, who won the only pro-am event this year, think again. In the 49 years of the Hope nobody has ever won both the AT&T and the Hope in the same year.
- The 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. Even though good weather has been forecasted for this year, it's hard to predict what the weather is going to be like on the Monterey Peninsula.
- Lastly and most 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. A perfect example was in 2005 when Phil Mickelson opened with a 62 at Spyglass, shattering its 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 six years the winner has done great at Spyglass: Year Champion Score at Spyglass 2007 Phil Mickelson 70 in 3rd round 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
