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$20 million purse, no cut, most of the world’s best, and… Condoleezza Rice

We’re still doing the pro-am part of this, but at least it’s only for two rounds now. Golfers will play Spyglass Hill once during either rounds one or two and then play the remaining three rounds at Pebble.

A look at the iconic course from Ron’s course preview:

Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach is perhaps the most visually mesmerizing course in the world. It hugs the rugged California coastline along the cliffs of the Monterey Peninsula with wide open views of Carmel Bay and the Pacific Ocean. As you would expect, coastal winds are one of the course’s main defenses. In 2023, winds were a factor for every round with gusts over 30 mph each day. High winds along with wet course conditions forced a rare Monday finish. And then 2024’s storm forced the tournament to end after 54 holes. Overall, Pebble Beach rates as the 17th easiest course on Tour averaging -1.22 strokes per round since 2021.

Unlike the U.S. Opens contested at Pebble Beach, the course is typically set up with generous fairways and non-penal rough to accommodate the pro-am format and keep pace of play moving. However, with the event now designated as a Signature Event and featuring a significantly stronger field, the rough has been allowed to grow longer than in past years, measuring approximately 2.5 to 3 inches.

As for the course itself, Pebble Beach is a par 72 that measures just 6,989 yards, making it the second-shortest track on the PGA Tour. Despite its length, it features more bunkers than any course on Tour, with 118 in total, many of which surround the greens and present a unique challenge. From an agronomic standpoint, the fairways and rough are a blend of Poa annua and ryegrass, while the greens are the famously bumpy West Coast Poa annua.

One of the primary reasons this classic course has remained such a stern test over time is its ingenious use of the natural slopes that traverse the property. Many of the fairways tilt toward the ocean and run across the line of play, forcing players to hit approach shots from uneven lies, often with the ball above or below their feet. That dynamic only heightens the difficulty of controlling distance and trajectory into Pebble Beach’s diminutive greens.

Following a manageable opening seven holes, where four holes play under par, the course quickly bares its teeth with three of the most demanding and visually stunning par 4s in the game. This front-nine stretch is often regarded as the finest sequence of holes in golf. Any hopes of easing off are quickly dashed on the back nine, where seven holes play over par. Pebble Beach’s par 4s and par 5s collectively rank as the third-shortest group on the PGA Tour, averaging just 443 yards per hole.

Staying true to that theme, three of the par 5s measure under 545 yards, while six par 4s come in under 400 yards. Despite the modest yardage, the par 5s are anything but easy. The 14th hole consistently plays over par and ranks among the most challenging par 5s on Tour, climbing uphill away from the water before bending sharply to the right. The closing 18th offers a classic risk-reward finish, tempting players to challenge Stillwater Cove along the coastline.

Check out the full article for more info, including a look at Spyglass Hill:

How To Watch

TV

Thursday 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Friday: 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Saturday: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-7 p.m. ET (CBS)

Sunday: 1-3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3-6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)

Streaming

Thursday: ESPN+: 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. ET

Friday: ESPN+: 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. ET

Saturday: ESPN+: 11:30-7 p.m. ET

Sunday: ESPN+: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ET

Model

The weather is unpredictable here, so I didn’t want to weigh wind rounds much, but now I’m wondering if I should dig into that a bit more. I stayed fairly basic with my weekly Rabbit Hole model, trying to focus on the main drivers that have pushed golfers up the leaderboard here in the past:

• Par 5 efficiency

• SG: OTT on “less than driver” courses

• SG: Short Game on Poa courses

• GIR% on courses with small greens

• and a heavy dose of straight up SG :APP

Members: Be sure to check out the other expert models on site

Non-Members: sign up! NEWS26 gets you 25% off of ANY plan.

Betting

I don’t care for Rory, but that’s no excuse for this price.

Scottie’s 3/1 implies he wins this thing around a quarter of the time, while Rory at 16/1 maths out to like 5%. I tend to disagree. He will be my only outright (as well as some props on him to win by multiple strokes for funsies). Everyone else I like is just getting a top 10 bet this week.

Rory McIlroy +1600

Michael Thorbjornsen Top 10 +260

Daniel Berger Top 10 +350

Pierceson Coody Top 10 +400

Don’t forget to check out Noonan’s article for even more betting insights:

Weather

It will be windy. Scoring should temper down a bit, and there will be some pretty tough approach shots. Interestingly enough, the high winds that we’ll be seeing today will be stretching into tomorrow morning, and some forecasts are showing that the AM groups will have a worse time of it than the Afternoon tee times, as winds will lessen during round one.

The heavy rain today will also leave the course playing a bit longer.

News and Notes

• Good news for JT, who’s shooting for the Florida Swing as his return to pro golf

• One good wind video deserves another.

• this makes me feel a million years old

As always, bet responsibly, have fun, and enjoy the first big boy field!

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