QUOTE
By JERRY STEWART
Herald Correspondent
Posted: 03/19/2009 01:33:26 AM PDT
Changes could be afoot for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2010.
Last month, PGA Tour officials looked at the recently renovated Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside to determine, at least partially, if it was suitable to be one of the three host courses for the AT&T.
Wednesday, an Associated Press report suggested that the PGA Tour policy board might discuss venues for the tournament — and the size of the field — in its meeting Tuesday in Florida.
Those reports have rekindled buzz on the Internet that Poppy Hills Golf Course, which joined the AT&T Pro-Am rotation in 1991, could be replaced by one of three other venues — The Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Cypress Point Club or Bayonet.
"We've had no conversation with Cypress; the tour did look at Bayonet, and the Shore Course could be of interest," said Ollie Nutt, president and chief executive officer of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which hosts the tournament. Nutt declined to go into details, saying only, "We're always looking and listening. All three courses could be competitive courses."
Dick Fitzgerald, managing director of Seaside Resort Development, which leases Bayonet and Black Horse from the city of Seaside, referred all questions to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
Monterey Peninsula Country Club was part of the tournament when it was called the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. It stayed in course rotation until 1967, when it was replaced by SpyglassHill.
Also recently renovated, MPCC hosted the 2007 California State Amateur Championship.
Cypress Point, another former AT&T and Crosby venue, was dropped from tournament rotation in 1991 because of its exclusionary membership, which has since changed.
Poppy Hills has had a difficult time measuring up in the minds of some players and fans of Cypress Point, the legendary course it replaced.
General Manager Tyler Jones noted his course is under contract through 2011 and said, "We have not received any further info."
The tournament's other two courses, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, have contracts that run through 2014.
Another factor driving speculation of changes is that 2010 will mark the 25th anniversary of AT&T's sponsorship of the tournament.
"They (AT&T) want to celebrate that anniversary, and we do too," Nutt said.
One way to do that would be to shorten playing time for rounds by reducing the playing field. The shorter rounds might make the tournament more appealing to top pros such as Tiger Woods, who counts AT&T as a major sponsor.
Currently, 180 teams — consisting of a pro and an amateur — are in the field. One suggestion is that the field be dropped to 144 players.
On that subject, Nutt, who will be in Florida for the PGA Tour policy board meeting, said there's no firm proposal yet.
"To my knowledge, there's nothing about that on the agenda," Nutt said. "I can't say it wouldn't help, but we're not sure how much it would help. Every year, we step back and take a look at the entire tournament. That too has come up before."
While a smaller field would most likely increase the speed of play and could entice more pro players, it would also reduce the amount of money raised by the tournament for charity. The majority of funds raised by the tournament is a result of the sale of Pro-Am spots.
Herald correspondent Jerry Stewart can be reached at 644-0319 or jerry_stewart@sbcglobal.net.
Herald Correspondent
Posted: 03/19/2009 01:33:26 AM PDT
Changes could be afoot for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2010.
Last month, PGA Tour officials looked at the recently renovated Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside to determine, at least partially, if it was suitable to be one of the three host courses for the AT&T.
Wednesday, an Associated Press report suggested that the PGA Tour policy board might discuss venues for the tournament — and the size of the field — in its meeting Tuesday in Florida.
Those reports have rekindled buzz on the Internet that Poppy Hills Golf Course, which joined the AT&T Pro-Am rotation in 1991, could be replaced by one of three other venues — The Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Cypress Point Club or Bayonet.
"We've had no conversation with Cypress; the tour did look at Bayonet, and the Shore Course could be of interest," said Ollie Nutt, president and chief executive officer of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which hosts the tournament. Nutt declined to go into details, saying only, "We're always looking and listening. All three courses could be competitive courses."
Dick Fitzgerald, managing director of Seaside Resort Development, which leases Bayonet and Black Horse from the city of Seaside, referred all questions to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
Monterey Peninsula Country Club was part of the tournament when it was called the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. It stayed in course rotation until 1967, when it was replaced by SpyglassHill.
Also recently renovated, MPCC hosted the 2007 California State Amateur Championship.
Cypress Point, another former AT&T and Crosby venue, was dropped from tournament rotation in 1991 because of its exclusionary membership, which has since changed.
Poppy Hills has had a difficult time measuring up in the minds of some players and fans of Cypress Point, the legendary course it replaced.
General Manager Tyler Jones noted his course is under contract through 2011 and said, "We have not received any further info."
The tournament's other two courses, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, have contracts that run through 2014.
Another factor driving speculation of changes is that 2010 will mark the 25th anniversary of AT&T's sponsorship of the tournament.
"They (AT&T) want to celebrate that anniversary, and we do too," Nutt said.
One way to do that would be to shorten playing time for rounds by reducing the playing field. The shorter rounds might make the tournament more appealing to top pros such as Tiger Woods, who counts AT&T as a major sponsor.
Currently, 180 teams — consisting of a pro and an amateur — are in the field. One suggestion is that the field be dropped to 144 players.
On that subject, Nutt, who will be in Florida for the PGA Tour policy board meeting, said there's no firm proposal yet.
"To my knowledge, there's nothing about that on the agenda," Nutt said. "I can't say it wouldn't help, but we're not sure how much it would help. Every year, we step back and take a look at the entire tournament. That too has come up before."
While a smaller field would most likely increase the speed of play and could entice more pro players, it would also reduce the amount of money raised by the tournament for charity. The majority of funds raised by the tournament is a result of the sale of Pro-Am spots.
Herald correspondent Jerry Stewart can be reached at 644-0319 or jerry_stewart@sbcglobal.net.
Poppy could get the boot and open up the door for any of the courses mentioned to fill the slot. I hope that Bayonet gets the spot, not only because I work there, but because it would be a great test for the professionals. Bayonet has hosted 2nd Stage Q School, The Nation Wide Tour, and The Champions Tour over years. Why not add The PGA Tour as well?
-Derk