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AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Outright Bets: This former major winner is ready to get back inside winner’s circle

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The PGA Tour heads to Pebble Beach this week to play the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The pro-am will return this week after nixing it last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the tournament will return to a three-course rotation once again.

Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club will be the courses featured in the 2022 edition of the event.

The field this week is made up of 156 players including Patrick Cantlay, Phil Daniel Berger, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and Justin Rose.

Pebble Beach Golf Links is a par 72 measuring 6,828 yards and featuring Poa annua greens. Spyglass Hill is a par 72 measuring 7,035 yards, and Monterey Peninsula is a par 71 measuring 6,958 yards.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Outright Bets

Justin Rose (+2800)(Bet365) 

I’ve been all over Justin Rose early and often during the 2022 season, and despite the fact that he hasn’t come through with a win yet, I am satisfied with the level of play. The Englishman is playing some of the best golf he has in a long time, and Pebble Beach is the perfect course for it to all come together and result in victory. 

Rose has been putting very well over the past few years, but we haven’t quite seen him striking it this well from tee to green. He gained 5.4 strokes on approach in only two measured rounds at Torrey Pines which was good for fourth in the field. The 41-year-old now gets to play a short course and ranks 10th in SG: Total on par 72s under 7200 yards, making Pebble Beach and ideal fit for his current game. He comes in with some encouraging course history having finished 3rd at the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach, and 6th at this event in 2016. This event can quickly turn into a putting contest and if it does, “Rosie” has just as good of a chance as anyone in the field.

Lanto Griffin (+5500)(Bet365)

Lanto Griffin finished in 30th place last week at Torrey Pines, but his path to that finish was more impressive than his eventual place on the leaderboard. Griffin he gained 3.5 strokes on approach in two measured rounds, and had a pedestrian putting week although he should be capable of improvement in that department this week at Pebble Beach. The most encouraging aspect of his week however, was how he finished it. The 33-year-old finished the week bu shooting a 65 at Torrey Pines and seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. Often times, we have seen a golfer who was hot finishing the week roll the momentum into the following event.

Prior to The Farmers Insurance Open, Griffin finished 3rd the previous week at The American Express which will be a somewhat similar test to what we see this week. Has gained an average of 2.2 strokes on the field from tee to green in his past five starts, and was 9th here in 2020 while gaining 3.4 strokes putting on greens that can be tricky. The course clearly fits his eye, as he ranks 4th in strokes gained total on par 72s under 7200 yards. 

Matt Kuchar: (+6600)(Bet365)

Prior to the Sony Open, I wrote about how although Kuchar will struggle on most courses on Tour, he still can contend at courses that suit his game. That proved to be true as he finished in 7th place that week and gained 5.9 strokes from tee to green. Despite his lack of distance off of the tee, his accuracy with driver and strong putting makes Pebble Beach another one of his spots. The 43-year-old has proven himself to be an incredible putter on fast poana greens in both the long and short term, and ranks 6th in field in that category in his past 24 rounds. Kuchar had a solid performance at the 2019 U.S. Open hosted by Pebble Beach, finishing in 16th place. He is in the twilight of his career, but is more than capable of winning the event. 

Russell Knox (+8000) (Bet365):

If Luke List showed us anything last week, it’s that a premier ball striker who historically can’t putt is always capable of breaking through. Also similar to List, Knox returns to a course that he has had excellent results at throughout his career. He doesn’t have the off the tee game that List has, but he doesn’t need it this week. He just needs to find the fairway and get dialed in with the irons, which he typically does.

The veteran struggled last week but two starts ago at the Sony Open, he finished in 7th place by gaining 5.1 strokes on approach in just two measured rounds. Knox has some encouraging course history, having finished 14th in 2019 and 15th in 2018 prior to the aforementioned 7th place finish last season.

Pebble Beach can get a bit windy, and if it does few have a bigger advantage than Knox who grew up playing in wet, chilly, coastal conditions in Scotland.

Aaron Rai (+9000) (Bet365):

Many golf fans got their first glimpse of Aaron Rai last week when he found himself in the final group at Torrey Pines. He struggled on Sunday, and ended up finishing in 6th place for the week. Despite being a relatively poor putter, Rai had a strong putting performance compared to his typical results, gaining 2.4 strokes on the field in two measured rounds. It is too soon to tell, but early signs may indicate that he may take kindly to poana greens.

Rai possesses many of the skills that are necessary to contend at a track like Pebble Beach. He is incredible at finding the fairway and isn’t very long off the tee, which won’t hurt him here. He solid on approach last week gaining 1.9 strokes on the field in two measured rounds, and Has averaged +5.3 strokes on the field per event in fairways gained in his past five events played. The 26-year-old is just about as automatic as it gets in finding the short grass off the tee. He also does a good job of hitting greens in regulation, which should come in handy on the smallest greens on Tour. In his past five starts, Rai has averaged +3.5 strokes on the field in Greens in Regulation: Gained. He sniffed contention last week which should prepare him for the nerves to come if he finds himself in the situation again. Don’t let his lack of Tour experience fool you, Rai has two impressive wins on  the DP World Tour and is a high class player. 

Pat Perez (+11000)(Bet365):

Pat Perez has the Pebble Beach form we are looking for this week, and came to life last week at Torrey Pines, making him a worthy long shot this week.

The 45-year-old grew up on the West Coast (Scottsdale, Arizona) and has shown comfortability in the area throughout his career. He got his first win in California back in 2009 at the Bob Hope Classic (PGA West) and has enjoyed Pebble Beach throughout his career. He finished 4th in 2015,14th in 2017,  and 26th last year. Perez was extremely impressive last week finishing in 6th place and gained 5.2  strokes on approach in two measured rounds. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has produced some older winners and is probably one of the few stops on Tour where he can still actually win. Putting it well and Bermuda is his best surface. In his past 24 rounds, Perez ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting on fast POA greens and 17th in Strokes Gained: Total at Pebble Beach. 

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Morning 9: 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour | Rory on possible return to policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, may a bountiful weekend of golf be in store for you!

1. 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour

KFT staff report…”Frankie Capan III went crazy low Thursday on the Korn Ferry Tour. Nearly in record fashion.”

  • “Capan carded 13-under 58 in the opening round of the Veritex Bank Championship, matching the second lowest score in Korn Ferry Tour history. He fell one shy of Cristobal Del Solar’s record 57, set at the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard earlier this year, but it was a heck of a show nonetheless.”
  • “The Minnesota native played an eight-hole stretch in 9-under Thursday, following an eagle at the par-5 ninth with seven straight birdies to begin the back nine at par-71 Texas Rangers Golf Club. He “cooled off” with a two-putt par at the long par-4 17th hole. He arrived at the par-5 18th hole at 13 under for the round, but he found a fairway bunker off the tee, laid up to 134 yards and missed his third shot left of the green. He chipped to 7 feet and drained the par putt to match the Korn Ferry Tour’s second-lowest score of 58, carded by Stephan Jaeger in the opening round of the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae.”
Full piece.

2. Team McIlowery starts strong

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Late Thursday afternoon in New Orleans, Rory McIlroy rested his head on Shane Lowry’s shoulder.”

  • “It wasn’t the typical post-round moment, but this isn’t the typical event. McIlroy and Lowry teamed up for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the PGA TOUR’s lone team event, and the all-Irish duo put on a show. Sporting matching pink-on-navy getups, McIlroy/Lowry opened in a best-ball 11-under 61 in Thursday’s Four-ball format at TPC Louisiana.”
  • “This partnership might have stemmed from a boozy brunch last fall, but their opening-round performance at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans gave the field a sobering reminder: They’ll be tough to top.”
Full piece.

3. LPGA Tour: Grace Kim in front

AP report…”Grace Kim shot a 7-under 64 at Wilshire Country Club to take the first-round lead Thursday in the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”

  • “Playing in the morning session, the 23-year-old Australian capped her bogey-free round with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 18th.”
  • “Well, I chunked my tee shot on the last hole 20 meters short and then I chipped it in it,” Kim said. “I think that’s pretty cool, in front of everyone
Full piece.

4. McIlroy on rejoining policy board

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Rory McIlroy said Wednesday that he is willing to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board if the other player directors want him.”

  • “As first reported by the Guardian, Webb Simpson has submitted a letter stating that he’d like to resign from the board, but only if his vacant seat is filled by McIlroy, who stepped down last fall because of the toll it had taken on him professionally and personally.”
  • “Five months later, what has changed?”
  • “I think I can be helpful,” McIlroy said Wednesday ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he is partnering with Shane Lowry. “I don’t think there’s been much progress made in the last eight months, and I was hopeful that there would be. I think I could be helpful to the process. But only if people want me involved, I guess.”
Full piece.

5. Charlie Woods shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier

Golfweek’s Cameron Jourdan…”Charlie Woods is going to have to wait to play in the U.S. Open.”

“The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods played Thursday in local qualifying for the United States Golf Association’s national championship, set for June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Charlie played at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and he shot 9-over 81.”

“Charlie’s round featured a bogey on his opening hole, the par-4 first. He then doubled the par-5 second. A pair of pars followed before his lone birdie on the front, but another double the next hole, the par-4 sixth, had him turn in 4-over 40.”

Full piece.

6. Photos from the Zurich Classic

GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

Check out all our photos at the link below!

Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our photos from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the forums.

 

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Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

1. 15-year-old finishes top 20 on KFT

Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”During a week when most eyes were on Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, the 15-year-old lefty finished off an incredible week with a five-under 66 in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood Ranch in Florida.”

  • “After opening with 68-66-70, Russell finished at 14-under-par total to tie for 20th place. The finish in which he jumped 28 positions on the leaderboard on the final day, gives him an exemption into next week’s Veritex Bank Championship at Rangers Park in Arlington, Texas. He’s the youngest player to finish inside the top 20 on the PGA of Korn Ferry tours, according to records that go back to 1983.”
Full piece.

2. Understandably, Nelly WDs

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Nelly Korda’s bid for a record-setting sixth consecutive win will have to wait a few weeks.”

  • “A day after capturing the Chevron Championship during a marathon final round in Houston, Korda announced on social media that she was withdrawing from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”
  • “It was not an easy decision,” she wrote. “After the unbelievable week at the Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
Full piece.

3. Scheffler’s impressive No. 1 feat

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After Scheffler’s victory Monday morning at the RBC Heritage, Scheffler upped his points average to 15.016 and increased his advantage in the Official World Golf Ranking over No. 2 Rory McIlroy to more than double McIlroy’s 7.365 average, meaning Scheffler is ranked further ahead of No. 2 than No. 2 is ahead of the last-ranked player.”

  • “The last time a No. 1 player had a greater points average was Woods, who was at 15.4564 on Dec. 6, 2009. But Woods was less than seven average points ahead of No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the time. Earlier that year, Woods was 7.735 ahead of Mickelson, which is the last time the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was greater than Scheffler’s current 7.651 advantage.”
Full piece.

4. Zurich field notes

PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…”Rory McIlroy will make his tournament debut alongside good pal, Ryder Cup teammate, and Irishman Shane Lowry – a duo that was firmed up during a celebratory lunch after the Ryder Cup last fall… Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will try to reprise their 2022 win here. Cantlay and Schauffele have both the Foursomes and Four-ball scoring records at this event… Davis Riley and Nick Hardy will defend their 2023 title. No team has gone back-to-back… Three sets of brothers (and two sets of twins!) will play together with twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard and Parker and Pierceson Coody in the field along with Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick. Alex Fitzpatrick and Rasmus Højgaard are sponsor invites…”

  • “Billy Horschel, who won last week at the Corales Puntacana Championship, will be without his previous partner Sam Burns, as Burns and his wife are expecting their first child any day. Horschel will instead be paired with fellow University of Florida alum Tyson Alexander. Horschel has won the Zurich Classic when it was both an individual and team event… Other notable pairings include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin. The Canadian duo finished runner-up a year ago and would like nothing more than to show Presidents Cup International Team captain Mike Weir how well they play together… Steve Stricker will play his second TOUR event this season (after earning his way into THE PLAYERS Championship), teaming up with Matt Kuchar.”
Full piece.

5. Tiger’s teammates

Field Level Media report…”Tiger Woods announced Monday that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner have joined his Jupiter Links GC TGL team.”

  • “The virtual golf league headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy will begin its inaugural season next January. Woods also unveiled the team’s logo.”
  • “I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter (Fla.) area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
Full piece.

6. Woosnam questions Cantlay’s decision

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, who’s ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.”

  • “On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.”
  • “Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and chip and putt on Monday morning.”
  • “Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision making.”
  • “Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 am Monday morning.”
Full piece.

7. JT on Scheffler’s “weird” equipment choice

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.”

  • “While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day.”
  • “I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.
Full piece.

8. Rory to rejoin PGA Tour policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.”

  • “One of the PGA Tour’s most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour’s influential policy board in November.”
  • “He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson, who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.”
Full piece.

9. Weir names Presidents Cup assistants

PGA Tour report…”International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29.

Full piece.
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