After last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open, the next event can't come quickly enough.
Jordan Spieth missed the cut, and Hideki Matsuyama withdrew early. That crushed a lot of DFS lineups. But this week rewards us with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Even if the picks don't pan out, it should be a fun event to watch. Here's what you need to know about the courses for this week.
Courses and Tournament Info
Yes, I did say "courses." This week has three of them, as has been the case for this event since 2010. Golfers will rotate between Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, and Spyglass Hill. After 54 rounds, the top 60 (plus ties) will finish up on the Pebble Beach course.
The primary course here is a par 72 that runs 6,800 yards (all three are shorter than 7,000 yards). The difficulty has been up-and-down throughout the years.
| Year | Difficulty Rank | Course | Par | Yds | Avg Score | Avg O/U Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 26 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 71.900 | -0.100 |
| 2016 | 16 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 72.498 | 0.498 |
| 2015 | 45 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 70.241 | -1.759 |
| 2014 | 7 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 73.385 | 1.385 |
| 2013 | 29 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 71.412 | -0.588 |
| 2012 | 24 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 71.857 | -0.143 |
| 2011 | 17 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 72.381 | 0.381 |
| 2010 | 31 | Pebble Beach GL | 72 | 6,816 | 71.564 | -0.436 |
Monterey is generally the easiest course of the three, and it bumped from a par 70 to a par 71 four years ago.
| Year | Difficulty Rank | Course | Par | Yds | Avg Score | Avg O/U Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 19 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 71 | 6,958 | 71.260 | 0.260 |
| 2016 | 25 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 71 | 6,867 | 70.699 | -0.301 |
| 2015 | 50 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 71 | 6,867 | 68.936 | -2.064 |
| 2014 | 22 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 71 | 6,867 | 71.252 | 0.252 |
| 2013 | 21 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 70 | 6,838 | 70.244 | 0.244 |
| 2012 | 23 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 70 | 6,838 | 69.883 | -0.117 |
| 2011 | 25 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 70 | 6,838 | 69.840 | -0.160 |
| 2010 | 37 | Monterey Peninsula CC | 70 | 6,838 | 68.948 | -1.052 |
And then we have Spyglass Hill, a short par 72. It consistently grades out as the toughest course of the three.
| Year | Difficulty Rank | Course | Par | Yds | Avg Score | Avg O/U Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 20 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 72.203 | 0.203 |
| 2016 | 15 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 72.506 | 0.506 |
| 2015 | 32 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 71.199 | -0.801 |
| 2014 | 11 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 72.755 | 0.755 |
| 2013 | 17 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 72.641 | 0.641 |
| 2012 | 18 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 72.581 | 0.581 |
| 2011 | 15 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 72.426 | 0.426 |
| 2010 | 30 | Spyglass Hill GC | 72 | 6,953 | 71.603 | -0.397 |
If we break it down by year, here is how the three grade out relative to one another (in terms of course average relative to par).
| Difficulty Rank | Pebble Beach GL | Monterey Peninsula CC | Spyglass Hill GC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2011 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Spyglass has been the toughest course of the three in six of the past eight years and never the easiest. Monterey, almost always the easiest (five of eight) was the toughest a year ago.
Key Stats
Finding stats that translate to all three courses will likely lead to a lot of noise, but these should definitely be factored into your research this week, based on past results at this course rotation.
| Key Stats for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach |
|---|
| Strokes Gained: Tee to Green |
| Strokes Gained: Putting |
| Proximity |
| Strokes Gained: Approach |
| Greens in Regulation |
Tee-to-green play always matters, and that's particularly true for those who have succeeded at this event in recent season. The poa greens can be a tough test, so putting ability over the long-term will likely do well here.
All three courses feature small greens, and golfers will need to score well to make the most of the available fantasy points over the first 54 (guaranteed) holes, making proximity, approach play, and GIRs vital, according to historical data.
Course History Studs
Jordan Spieth, fresh off a missed cut, has a clear bounceback shot at Pebble Beach. He's the article's coverboy for a reason: he won last year. That came after a 22nd, 4th, 7th, and 21st in his four prior tries.
Dustin Johnson has dominated this course, though, including 8 top-10s in the past 11 attempts. He won in 2009 and in 2010 and has three top-fours in the past four years.
Jason Day's past five results here are 6th, cut, 4th, 11th, 5th. Jimmy Walker's finishes since 2011 are 9th, 9th, 3rd, 1st, 21st, 55th.
Phil Mickelson has won at Pebble Beach twice since 2006 (most recently in 2012). His past two results were a 2nd in 2016 and a 65th in 2017.
Brandt Snedeker is a two-time winner here (2013 and 2015) and finished fourth a year ago.
Patrick Reed has finished top-30 in all five tries since 2013.