AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Thread

[RC]

And it feels like a typical 7400 yard course from the tips -- due to the lower par, the sea-level elevation, soft fairways, and especially with good winds. Personally, I like Monterey Peninsula Shore for a number of reasons, but the Dunes is also a great track. They are pretty insistent about not letting extraneous grass infringe on their greens and fairways. Your shoes get the airhose treatment before you walk onto the course -- just to be sure.

[mattengland]

I missed CBS' Saturday (yesterday) broadcast and am bummed that I missed the celebrity play and interviews. Does anyone offer a Saturday's-round replay online somewhere (cbs.com, youtube?), or on some DirecTV replay channel/time?

[MSDOGS1976]

Pretty good tournament! Glad to see Duval in the hunt again. Close, but no cigar. Boy, I think the scenery was as pretty as I have ever seen there too.

[Shindig]

Duval with a T2 at a US Open course, second year in a row. Maybe he is on his way to a serious comeback.

[ajohnson161]

Man, I really wanted to see a playoff!

[B Keller]

Man, I really wanted to see a playoff!

Agreed. A JB, DD, DJ playoff would have been cool.

[golf1234]

Glad to see that Duval is playing well again. Not sure if he will be playing consistent enough to be in the hunts regularly, but seems like he will at least show up once in awhile. Dustin Johnson struggled today, he plays better in easier conditions and the scoring conditions today weren't not as favorable as the past 3 days, and his struggles to make putts certainly didn't help. Anyway, he played well on the 18th hole and deserved to win. Goydos was in the hunt again, but just like a few times last season, he seemed to struggle on Sunday. Holmes had another good week, maybe he will be breaking out this season.

[Tiger Spuds]

Shame about Duval and Holmes.Personally thought both of them deserved it more, Johnson was very ordinary today.Great bunker shot on the 18th though, so well done to him.

[frobenius]

My friend commented to me that they need to redo the 14th hole because the green is way too unfair, thoughts?

[Doctorfro]

Hard to see on television just how crazy that 14th green is. From what they describe and what we witnessed it goes beyond hard to ridiculously unfair.

[pusher]

Hard to see on television just how crazy that 14th green is. From what they describe and what we witnessed it goes beyond hard to ridiculously unfair.

I played there about 8 years ago. The front of that green as it rises along side the bunker is extremely steep. The pin on Sunday was at the end of a nose that extends off the top lip of the bunker. It is a very difficult placement.

[Zeph]

It is of course never unfair, the ball ends up where the player hits it. It's the same for everyone.
I like tough courses where it's not a birdie fest. Helps spice things up a bit and demand the players to stay focused.

[JetFan1983]

It is of course never unfair, the ball ends up where the player hits it. It's the same for everyone.

True, everyone has to play that hole, but the landing area is so small that frankly

a lot of luck is involved in surviving that hole. I'm definitely not saying Dustin Johnson didn't deserve to win though. He's been playing great golf this season.

[Zeph]

The same way it is luck when you hit the ball close for a birdie or even in the hole.

[JetFan1983]

The same way it is luck when you hit the ball close for a birdie or even in the hole.

Yea but if you miss that small landing area you're bringing an enormous number into play. Big difference.

[B Keller]

Everyone knows the pin and what the landing areas are. If you hit a perfect shot you are within 5 feet. If you miss you can bag a 9.

Or you can go all course management on the hole and hit the back left and 2 putt for par.

[mcfc_nick]

its not all luck at all, if youre in the position of bryce molder then yes you have to go at it and the risk/reward of going for it is huge, but if youre in the position of goydos then you play the percentages and knock it to the back of the green and 2-putt (especially after standing in the middle of the fairway watching somebody mess up the hole)

[Clambake]

I played Pebble last summer and found the 14th green to be simply diabolical. The pin was in almost the same spot, and I hit what felt like a perfect SW right at the pin. My caddy said "great shot" and handed me my SW, but when we reached the green we found my ball long and down the hill in the rough. Fortunately I escaped with only a bogi, but it was only luck. One of my playing partners suffered a similar fate to Goydos, taking a really big number when he thought he'd be putting for birdie.

TV doesn't show the severe contouring at all well. If you're on the green on the right front the flat-ish area on top is so high that you almost can't see the surface when you're standing down there - it seriously is a good 6+ feet in elevation difference, and the drop off starts very close to where the pin was. And missing to the left like Goydas puts you similarly a good 7-8 feet below the green surface, with a tiny little landing area. Unless you can pull off a Mickelson flop shot, anything hit from that spot will go too far and fall down the hill on the other side.

I remember walking to the 15th tee thinking the 14th green was the single most difficult green I've ever seen in all my years playing.