AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Preview

The PGA Tour is in California this week for the AT&T Pebble Beach National pro-am. Stars of stage and screen will join the PGA Tour’s finest to compete around one of America’s most recognisable courses.

Dustin Johnson defends
Fergus Bisset
By
published

Lowdown: The AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am is one of the most popular tournaments on the PGA Tour circuit. With stars of stage and screen competing, the event always attracts large crowds. The tournament began life in the 1930s when Bing Crosby decided to give some of his golfing friends the chance to play with the top professionals by creating a pro-am event. The Second World War intervened but, in 1946, the competition was revived and it moved to its present home at Pebble Beach. Since then there have been some notable winners: Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods amongst them. The event is contested over three courses - the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Spyglass Hill and the famous links at Pebble Beach. The Shore Course has a par of 70 compared to 72 at the other two venues, that means the 72-hole par for the tournament will be 286. Dustin Johnson has won this event two years in a row and he'll be back looking to make it a hat-trick. Among the celebrities playing in the Pro-Am section of the tournament are Kevin Costner, Oscar de la Hoya, Bill Murray and Kelly Slater.

Venue: Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula CC and Spyglass Hill, California Date: Feb 10-13 Course stats: Pebble Beach - par 72, 6,816 yards; The Shore Course - par 70, 6,838 yards; Spyglass Hill - par 72, 6,833 yards Purse: $6,300,000 Winner: $1,134,000 Defending Champion: Dustin Johnson (-16)

TV Coverage: Thursday 10 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 8pm Friday 11 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 8pm Saturday 12 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 6pm Sunday 13 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 6pm

Player Watch: Dustin Johnson - It's hard to look past the man who's won this event two years on the spin. The big-hitting American has made a solid start to 2011 with two top-10s to his name already.

J.B Holmes - Another power player, Holmes was tied second in this event last year and is coming off a tied fifth finish last week in Phoenix.

Phil Mickelson - Three times a winner of this tournament, Mickelson was second in the Farmers Insurance Open and tied for 29th in Phoenix. He's looking for his first PGA Tour victory since last year's US Masters. Key hole: 7th at Pebble Beach. Only 106 yards, the key to negotiating this hole is managing the wind. Some days it can be a flick with a sand wedge, others it'll require a knocked-down 7-iron.

Skills required: Versatility. Players will have to contend with the different challenges posed by three courses as well as playing with amateur golfers.

Where Next? European Tour: Dubai Desert Classic Preview

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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