Power Rankings: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Editor's note: Will Zalatoris has withdrawn from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after testing positive for COVID-19. Zalatoris is replaced in the field by Greg Chalmers.

Daniel Berger has withdrawn from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am due to injury. Berger is replaced in the field by Kevin Stadler.

With the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and its three-course setup striding to the plate, the PGA TOUR will have visited eight ballparks in three weeks. It’s golf’s version of the avid baseball fan’s summer road trip.

This also reestablishes the regularity of a Thursday start, but with all of the 156 entrants guaranteed one round on each track, the cut will occur at the conclusion of 54 holes. It’s unique, too.

For the explanation, a peek at Mother Nature’s much-appreciated cooperation at one of the sport’s iconic vistas, and more, continue reading beneath the ranking of projected contenders.

Tuesday’s Draws and Fades will include reviews of two-time champion Brandt Snedeker, Charl Schwartzel, Matt Kuchar, Aaron Rai and other notables.

Since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is the last multiple-course tournament of the season, and we’re just entering the second quarter in early February, some positioned near the bottom of the Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle category won’t play the PGA TOUR again until the Puerto Rico Open in four weeks. This is due to a combination of factors, but it’s largely because there are only so many daylight hours on the U.S. mainland for the foreseeable future. It’s an annual break of sorts and explains why there are three events at this time of year contested on multiple courses.

Depending on the cutoff for entry at next week’s WM Phoenix Open, which hosts 132 golfers, it’s possible that even a top 10 by any KFT grad at Pebble Beach will not be enough to crack the field on merit. If not, it would pay forward to The Honda Classic two weeks after that because The Genesis Invitational is, as its name specifies, an invitational for which top-10 exemptions do not apply. The KFT grads are reordered after Genesis, so they are advised to consider the AT&T as the last stop of this phase to make hay.

In addition to Pebble Beach Golf Links, the famous stock par 72 used as backgrounds of mobile devices, tablets and PC monitors, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course share duties as co-hosts. Spy also is a stock par 72, while MPCC is a par 71 with five par 3s. Three of its four par 5s are on its inward par 37.

Under docile conditions, MPCC not only expects to play as the easiest of the trio in the aggregate by default, it also should surrender a scoring average in relation to par that is lower than both Pebble and Spy. Therefore, capitalizing on the singular spin of the Shore Course will be a little like doing damage on La Quinta Country Club, the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA WEST or Torrey Pines North because scoring conditions will exist throughout the week.

Sunshine and a light breeze will pave the way for all three courses to test as intended. Daytime temperatures will climb into the low 60s, but the cool, oceanside air will govern only a handful of tee balls. MPCC is just 6,957 yards and Spy is the longest at only 7,041 yards.

Pebble Beach tips at 6,972 yards. That up over 150 yards from its customary length and it doesn’t reflect a couple of modifications, such as the new green complex at the 390-yard, par-4 11th hole. Tournament organizers have retained a few of the longer opportunities that were introduced in last year’s edition. The absence of amateurs last year (due to the pandemic) allowed for a tougher track, and the field still averaged 71.197, so it generated a fair compromise. Spy checked in at 72.788 in its two rounds of the adjusted format for which MPCC wasn’t utilized.

All three courses feature Poa annua greens running up to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. Pebble’s 3,500-square foot greens easily are the smallest. The longest rough is trimmed at just two inches, primarily because the amateurs are back.

The 54-hole cut is as well. When it falls, the low 60 and ties will advance to the final round held only on Pebble Beach. However, all of the low 65 and ties will receive FedExCup points and official earnings. The low 25 pro-am teams also qualify for the finale even if the pro of the partnership wasn’t among the low 60 and ties in the tournament proper.

Only Pebble Beach is lasered for ShotLink, so full-event data for Strokes Gained, proximity to the hole and other measurements will be determined by 36 holes at most.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled.

MONDAY: Power Rankings

TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws and Fades

SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Ranking

* - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.