The famous Pebble Beach Golf Links has hosted six U.S. Opens and is scheduled to host four more over the next 20 years.
Major championship layout.
But when the PGA Tour heads to the Monterey Peninsula each year for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the event feels like something entirely different.
This year, things change as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has earned “Signature Event” status. Ten of the top 11 players in the world will be competing this week, as well as the top 50 players in last year’s FedEx Cup standings.
“Given the fact that this is a high-class event, we are very excited about the idea that three to eight players in the top 10, top 15 in the world will be able to go all the way to Pebble Beach, regardless of the conditions. . . That would be very exciting to see,” Jordan Spieth said Wednesday.
“I think this week’s field is probably going to be the best AT&T ever, because that hasn’t really been possible at this event, other than the U.S. Open. I’m incredibly excited about that. .”
Many of the game’s top players have previously missed this tournament due to scheduling conflicts.
Most chose to play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines the previous week, but some wanted to play at the Waste Management Phoenix Open the following week.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am typically draws hundreds of amateur golfers, slowing down the pace of play and crowding the three golf courses. Many pros don’t have the patience for that, which is why so many skipped the event, which was originally known as the “Crosby Clambake.” Still, 80 amateur players will play this week, but only for the first 36 holes.
“Honestly, I’m a little less Bing Crosby,” Spieth admitted.
“It was fun and unique in its own way, but it has an atmosphere that feels closer to a major championship…without the entertainment element, there’s certainly a different atmosphere off the course. On the course, we played at the U.S. Open here. I’m having a practice round with the players. [in 2019]It was the last time they were here, so it’s great to see them here. ”
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“It feels like a major, and off the course it feels a little less like the old Bing Crosby.”
Spieth won the 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and is 11-of-11 in the event. He has recorded six top-10 finishes at Pebble Beach, and he regularly calls the course one of his favorite courses in the world.
But now he has to compete against a stronger field, something the three-time major champion welcomes.
“There’s this atmosphere because of the people you walk with in the locker room, the people you watch the course with on the practice range, the people you play in practice rounds with,” Spieth said. Told.
“This is a top field and it’s so great to see.”
Spieth will begin the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday at Spyglass Hill with close friend Justin Thomas. They will tee off at 12:57 p.m. ET.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
