Mickelson headlines time-honoured AT&T
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | Preview | 11 Feb 2009
72 years on from when the event was first won by Sam Snead in 1937, the time honoured AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am is this week’s event on the PGA Tour.
Originally an 18, then 36 hole, then 54 hole event, the tournament was first played over 72 holes when Billy Casper won in 1957. The tournament first moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1947 after WWII and has been played on several of the most high profile layouts in American golf since.
Cypress Point was dropped from the roster of courses in 1991 and was replaced by the Poppy Hills Golf Club but Spyglass Hill Golf Club and Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The event is played over the three venues on the opening three days before returning to the host venue, Pebble Beach, for the final round on Sunday.
Three time winner Phil Mickelson headlines the field although Padraig Harrington, at number three, the leading world ranked player in the field, will play the event for the third occasion.
At world number four, Vijay Singh is also ahead of Mickelson in the rankings but he is somewhat of an unknown quantity given that his last event was at the Merecedes-Benz Championship in early January and that he returns to tournament golf following his injury. Singh won this event in 2004, was runner up last year and has been a regular top ten placegetter.
Mike Weir has finished inside the top ten in six of his eleven starts in this event and his recent third place finish at the Bob Hope is perhaps a better indication of his readiness than his missed cut two weeks ago in Phoenix. He could do very well.
There is little doubt that another course specialist is back close to his best. Davis Love III won this event in 2001 and 2003 but it has been his recent resurgence is what gives his admirers the most hope this week. Love was runner up in Hawaii earlier in the season and even his 35th place finish last week was encouraging enough.
Kenny Perry has not played here since 2003 but there were several good finishes in the years prior. Perry at the age of 48 is arguably a better player than he was then, his brilliant recent form confirming that. Perry won his last start in Phoenix two weeks ago.
At some stage perhaps this year Mathew Goggin will win his first PGA Tour event. He has played this event inconsistently but he did finish 8th in 2002 and his form in recent weeks has been at its highest level ever. Another good finish last week gives every indication that this might be a big week for Goggin.
Of the other Australians, Jason Day finished 6th on debut here last year and played well on occasions last week in his 2009 season PGA Tour debut. His first season on the PGA Tour in 2008 was not up to the expectations of many but he is too good a player to be without full PGA Tour status for long.
Matt Jones did so well last week and like Day comes off a reasonable rookie season in 2008. Steve Elkington, Marc Leishman, Steve Allan, Jarrod Lyle and Aron Price are other Australians in the field.
