The PGA Tour continues the California portion of the schedule as they head to Pebble Beach for the annual Pro-Am where three iconic courses host the best golfers in the world along with a solid list of celebrities who tee it up throughout the week. For fantasy golf purposes, we won’t be picking celebrities, so don’t worry Alex Smith can’t kill your fantasy team and owning Peyton Manning (a late entry) doesn’t mean you automatically will win this week.
Last week, my entry climbed our FanSided Group rankings with a solid week thanks to Bubba Watson and Graham DeLaet’s co-runner up finishes. Our group continues to be extremely competitive ( details to join here ), and even a good week may not quite earn you a top ten finish. This week the winner was todd’s team with 204 points which moved him up to sixth place overall with “Touchdown Jackrabbits” maintaining the overall lead for the season.
This week, the tournament format is a little different than usual so make sure you understand when and where the cut will be. The first three rounds are played on three courses-Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and the Shore Course. As a result, the cut doesn’t take place until after round 3. On Sunday, the top 60 play Pebble Beach for the final round with 61-70 getting a MDF (made cut, didn’t finish) designation. The three courses are fairly similar in their scoring, so I’m not planning on rotating my lineup based on who is on what track.
Here’s my picks for the 2014 Pebble Beach Pro-Am:
Patrick Reed: Reed has already won on tour this year at the Humana Championship and is coming off his third top 20 in a row. There aren’t many A-list options this week, and Reed’s current form is hard to argue with. He’s only played the Pebble Beach event once but put up a t7 last year.
Phil Mickelson: While his health is still an issue, his history at the event is unquestionable. Phil’s won this even four times and seems to be on the leaderboard every time any tournament is held here. I’ll start with him on my bench to conserve his start if his back locks up on him again, but if he’s in form you definitely want him on your roster for this event.
Jason Day: Day stormed back at Torrey Pines and finished t2 and is one of my favorites who usually ends up on my roster 10 times throughout the season. He has a pair of top-ten finishes at Pebble Beach in the past and comes in on a streak of seven straight top 15’s.
Dustin Johnson: Johnson hasn’t played since the first tournament of the Yahoo! Fantasy Golf season, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua where he finished t6. He has owned this course in the past winning the event in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. When he’s on his game, he can be unbeatable and he definitely knows his way around these courses.
Hunter Mahan: Mahan challenged the leaderboard Sunday after a slow start at TPC Scottsdale. He finished t4 after a scorching weekend and should be ready to roll in this one if he can capture that form for the whole week. In the past, he’s had success at this event with three straight top-20’s including a runner up finish in 2011 to D.A. Points.
Matt Jones: Jones also had a good week in Scottsdale, but faded a bit on the weekend to finish t12. He’s had a pair of top 15’s in his last three tournaments and has made five straight cuts. He has a pair of top 15’s in the last four tournaments Pebble Beach Pro-Am’s and is my “sleeper pick” who could make his mark this week.
Jimmy Walker: Walker has the FedEx Cup lead coming into the event and has three top ten’s in his last three three tournaments at Pebble Beach. Walker won at Waialae and in the Fall Series, so he’s officially already a multiple-winner this season, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him lift another trophy this weekend.
Graeme McDowell: McDowell hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since early November when he finished 3rd at the HSBC Champions. He has very nice memories at this course, though, since it’s where he claimed his 2010 US Open victory here. He hasn’t played this event since 2o06 when he missed the cut but he did finish in the top ten in 2005. McDowell is a high-risk pick since his form is unknown, but Walker is safe enough that I feel like this is a flier worth taking.
