AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview 2017

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview 2017

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview 2017

Dates: February 6-12, 2017
Where: Pebble Beach Golf Links (Host) Par (Yards): 36-36—72 (6,816)
Spyglass Hill Golf Course Par (Yards): 36-36—72 (6,953)
Monterey Peninsula CC, Shore Course Par (Yards): 34-37—71 (6,958)
Field: 156
Format: 72-hole stroke play
FedExCup points: 500 to the winner
Purse: $7,200,000 ($1,296,000)
Defending Champion: Vaughn Taylor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/attproam
Twitter: @attproam
Hashtag: #attproam

This week in FedExCup history

• The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has played a significant role in the FedExCup, the PGA TOUR’s season-long competition now in its 11th year.
• In the 10 years of the FedExCup, all AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champions advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs, with seven of those winners making it all the way to the TOUR Championship in Atlanta (including multiple winners Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker).

A look back at the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

• Vaughn Taylor, who trailed Phil Mickelson by six strokes after 54 holes, made four consecutive birdies on holes 13-16 and fired a 5-under 31 coming in. Taylor made 108 feet of putts in the final round including a 28-foot 11-inch bomb on the 16th hole for birdie to take the outright lead at 17-under par.
• Playing out of the Past Champion category, Taylor won his third PGA TOUR victory at age 39 years, 11 months and 5 days. Taylor won the Barracuda Championship twice in his career (2004, 2005) and was a member of the 2005 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
• Vaughn Taylor and Gregg Ontiveros won the pro-am portion of the tournament by one stroke over Jonas Blixt and Jamie Williamson.
• It was the 10th time in tournament history that a player won the individual and pro-am team title in the same year and the first since 2013 (Brandt Snedeker and Toby S. Wilt). In 2012, Ontiveros triumphed in the pro-am format with TOUR winner Brian Harman.
• Since 1987, just six champions have also won the Pro-Am portion of the event: 2006-Arron Oberholser, 2007-Phil Mickelson, 2009-Dustin Johnson (T1, 54-hole event), 2011-D.A. Points, 2013-Brandt Snedeker, 2016- Vaughn Taylor.
• 2016 Final Professional Leaderboard
  • Vaughn Taylor 70-68-67-65—270 (-17)
  • Phil Mickelson 68-65-66-72—271 (-16)
  • Jonas Blixt 67-69-67-69—272 (-15)
  • Freddie Jacobson 65-69-68-71—273 (-14)
  • Hiroshi Iwata 66-66-69-72—273 (-14)
• 2016 Final Pro-Am Leaderboard
  • Vaughn Taylor/Gregg Ontiveros 30-under
  • Jonas Blixt/Jamie Williamson 29-under
  • Peter Malnati/Donald Colleran 28-under

A broad look at the field

• Five of the nine different winners on the PGA TOUR in 2016-17: Cody Gribble (Sanderson Farms Championship), Rod Pampling (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Pat Perez (OHL Classic at Mayakoba), Mackenzie Hughes (The RSM Classic) and Jon Rahm (Farmers Insurance Open).
• 16 of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings, including five in the top 10: Pat Perez (3), Jon Rahm (5), Mackenzie Hughes (6), Rod Pampling (9) and Adam Hadwin (10).
• Four of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking led by world No. 1 Jason Day, Dustin Johnson (4), Jordan Spieth (6) and Patrick Reed (10).
• Seven past AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champions: Vaughn Taylor (2016), Brandt Snedeker (2013, 2015), Jimmy Walker (2014), Phil Mickelson (1998, 2005, 2007, 2012), D.A. Points (20111), Dustin Johnson (2009, 2010) and Vijay Singh (2004).
• Eight members of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup squad: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker, Brandt Snedeker, J.B. Holmes and Matt Kuchar.
• Eight players with 10 or more PGA TOUR wins: Phil Mickelson (42), Vijay Singh (34), Ernie Els (19), Jim Furyk (17), David Duval (13), Dustin Johnson (12), Steve Stricker (12) and Jason Day (10).
• 15 major winners including five with multiple major titles: Phil Mickelson (5), Ernie Els (4), Padraig Harrington (3), Vijay Singh (3) and Jordan Spieth (2).
• 23 2016-17 PGA TOUR Rookies highlighted by winners Cody Gribble and Mackenzie Hughes and England’s Andrew “Beef” Johnston.

Additional player notes

• Four-time AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Phil Mickelson will return for his 21st start after finishing runner-up to Vaughn Taylor in 2016. That was his first of three runner-up finishes in the 2015-16 PGA TOUR season and the 32nd time in his career he was runner-up. Mickelson has played the last three consecutive weeks on the PGA TOUR finishing T21 (CareerBuilder Challenge), T14 (Farmers Insurance Open) and T16 (Waste Management Phoenix Open).
• World no. 1 Jason Day has three top-10s in seven starts at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Coming off a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, Day has never missed a cut at Pebble Beach
•  Two-time AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Dustin Johnson owns six top-10 finishes in nine starts at the event (T7-2008, Won-2009, Won-2010, T5-2012, T2-2014, T4-2015). He’s won at least one time in each of the last nine seasons (2008-16), the best streak on TOUR.
• AT&T ambassador Jordan Spieth will make his fifth start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with top-10 finishes in two of his last three starts (T22-2013, T4-2014, T7-2015, T21-2016).
• In his lone start at Pebble Beach, Justin Rose finished T6 in 2016. The Olympic gold medalist has finished inside the top four in his two starts this season: Sony Open in Hawaii (2), Farmers Insurance Open (T4).
• Seven-time PGA TOUR winner Matt Kuchar will make his first start at Pebble Beach since 2010. In 10 previous starts, Kuchar’s best finish is a lone top-10, a T6 in 2007.
• Webb Simpson, who fell in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama last week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, will play at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the fourth time. Simpson is looking for his first PGA TOUR title since the 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

The Celebrities

• Bret Baier Chief Political Anchor – Fox News Channel
• Bill Belichick Head Coach, New England Patriots
• Chris Berman Sportscaster – ESPN
• Matt Cain Professional Baseball – San Francisco Giants
• Carson Daly Host of The Voice & Digital Studio Host of the Today Show
• Josh Donaldson Baseball – Toronto Blue Jays
• Tom Dreesen Comedian
• Josh Duhamel Actor
• Larry Fitzgerald Professional Football – Arizona Cardinals
• Colt Ford Musician
• Kenny G Musician
• Andy Garcia Actor
• Wayne Gretzky Former Hockey Player
• Toby Keith Musician
• Thomas Keller Celebrity Chef
• Charles Kelley Musician – Lady Antebellum
• Joe Kernen Anchor – CNBC
• Larry the Cable Guy Comedian & Actor
• Huey Lewis Musician – Huey Lewis & the News
• Peyton Manning Former Professional Football
• Gary Mule Deer Comedian & Musician
•  Bill Murray Actor
• Kunal Nayyar Actor
• Chris O’Donnell Actor – Currently starring in NCIS: Los Angeles
• Jake Owen Musician
• Alfonso Ribeiro Actor – Host of America’s Funniest Home Videos
• Andy Roddick Former Professional Tennis Player
• Aaron Rodgers Professional Football – Green Bay Packers
• Kelly Rohrbach Actress / Model
• Ray Romano Actor
• Joe Don Rooney Musician – Rascal Flatts
• Kelly Slater Professional Surfer
• Alex Smith Professional Football
• Justin Timberlake Musician, Actor, Producer
• Mark Wahlberg Actor
• Clay Walker Musician
• Steve Young Former Professional Football

Historical Notes

• When Dustin Johnson won the 2009 and 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am titles, he became the first player in 20 years to win the event in consecutive years. The others: Sam Snead (1937, 1938); Cary Middlecoff (1955, 1956); Jack Nicklaus (1972, 1973); Tom Watson (1977, 1978); Mark O’Meara (1989, 1990).
• 2013 and 2015 champion Brandt Snedeker holds the two-lowest 72-hole scoring records a 22-under 265 winning total in 2015 and a 72-hole total of 267 in 2013. The previous mark of 268 was set by Mark O’Meara (1997) and later matched by Phil Mickelson (2007).
• Nine 72-hole winners (eight players) of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am held at least a share of the lead for all four rounds – Dustin Johnson (2010), Phil Mickelson (2005 and 2007), Tom Shaw (1970) Bert Yancey (1970), Lloyd Mangrum (1953), Jimmy Demaret (1952), Lloyd Mangrum (1948) and Ed Oliver (1940).
• Six players since 1970 earned their first win at this event: John Cook (1981), Steve Jones (1988), Brett Ogle (1993), Matt Gogel (2002), Arron Oberholser (2006), D.A. Points (2011).

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview 2017 comes via The PGATOUR