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The golf world gives – and it also take away.
So it is this week for non-U.S. based golf fans at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
Because, while we have the sight of three superb golf courses and glorious vistas from the Californian cliff tops, we also have TV pictures giddy at another sight: that of various comedians and sportsmen who are mostly unknown to us hacking away and telling tales.
American TV coverage seems eager to show as little golf as possible at the best of times but this week it is worse than ever.
And what a pity because Pebble Beach – which host two rounds including the final lap – is magnificent and the other two venues Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula are almost as fine.
As tests they are somewhat alike, albeit the latter two lack the stature to host the U.S. Open
A key defence of Pebble Beach when it hosts the national championship is the hard conditions but there is none of that in spring.
The fairways are wide and easier to hit because the bounce just isn’t there.
So the big difficulty is the tiny size of the putting surfaces. Hitting them matters (as does scrambling when they are missed).
The greens are also bumpy and not just because they have Poa Annua on them – the pins are the same all through 54 holes to lots of feet are tramping around them.
The introduction to this piece was not mere whimsy – the players can struggle with the vibe this week and the slow play to produces.
Gary Woodland, a winner here in the US Open, said: “A lot of this week is mental too. You’re playing with amateurs, they’re long rounds, it’s a mental grind. So I think you have to be prepared for that and be mentally prepared for it.”
Steve Stricker added: “Conditions, soft, bumpy greens, cold weather, not really my cup of tea.”
Both surprise winner Nick Taylor and multiple winner Phil Mickelson have spoken of the importance of comfort levels with Poa Annua and Jordan Spieth (winner in 2017) said: “Last year was the first year where I lowered my expectations on the greens and just accepted hitting putts at the right speed and putting them around the right line, and if they fell, they fell. If they didn’t, move on and hit as many greens in regulation as possible.”
Angles to consider 1/ Poa Annua putting surfaces
The last 11 winners had already finished T16th or better in the tournament. Winners are also usually particularly fine performers on Poa Annua in California in general (Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, Riviera, Silverado). 2/ Hitting the greens
Last year’s observations bears repeating because what all three host tracks have in common, other than location, is that they have small greens – Pebble has the tiniest on tour, in fact. They are hard to hit because of that but, also, there’s the added difficulty factor of saving par if they are missed. Phil Mickelson said: “It’s not just putting on, but chipping on, chipping into and hitting full shots into Poa (that is tricky). It can be challenging for guys if they’re not used to it.” 3/ Par 4 Scoring
Last year’s winner Hoge somewhat bucked a long-term trend – before him six of seven winners had ranked top two for scoring on the par 4s. But he wasn’t far off maintaining the trend – just the five golfers scored better than him on them. Selections
The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected. Maverick McNealy
If he’s to break through California and on Poa Annua seems the likely conditions. He’s been second, fifth and T33rd in four starts at the event. He’s also been second at Silverado, seventh at Riviera and T15th at Torrey Pines on Poa. He’s tenth on the new rankings this site has for grass type (Poa) – and he’s played more than most above him (a few of them will have false positions currently). Form? Seven straight cuts, a worst effort of T31st and five top 20s. Nick Taylor
A surprise winner of this event in 2020 but was 3-for-5 at landing a top 30 before then and did have a top 10. He had also finished top 10 at Silverado (Californian Poa Annua) shortly before the win and he was sixth there earlier this season. He has also finished T39th and T14th since winning here. Finished seventh in his penultimate start and is in the top 36 of those new Poa Annua rankings for the field on the site – and again he’s played a lot more of it than many above him. Scott Stallings
He finished T14th, seventh and third at the event between 2017 and 2019 before following up with MC-T30th-MC. But that trio of results bodes well and he scores well on par-4s. He made the Tour Championship last year which shows medium term quality. This season he made four cuts before T25th at the Tournament of Champions and a missed weekend last week. Another who features on the new grass rankings (17th).
Tips: 0-3; -6.00pts
1.25pt e.w. Maverick McNealy at 20/1 (Unibet, BetUK 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) wd 1pt e.w. Nick Taylor at 66/1 (Skybet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) 20th
0.75pt e.w. Scott Stallings at 60/1 (Skybet, William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) 15th
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