We are on to the second signature event of the season on The PGA Tour. It has been the season of the longshot so far, with unsuspected winners at every event thus far. Chris Kirk, Grayson Murray, Nick Dunlap, and Matthieu Pavon have claimed the first four victories of this PGA Tour season. With a star studded field this week at The Pebble Beach Pro Am thanks to it’s signature event status this season, that trend may be unlikely to continue, but not impossible. This event takes place at both Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, and only has amateurs playing in the first two days of the event this year. With the stage now set, let us get to our picks for this edition of The Pebble Beach Pro Am. As usual, we will be making one selection from the top, middle, and bottom of the odds board.
Scottie Scheffler
What can we say about Scottie that has not been said before? We all know that picking Scottie to win these days is essentially just a guess at when his hot putting weeks will be. He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world and is undeniably, the best iron player in the world. When that is your baseline you are working with, all you need to do is putt slightly above average, and you will be in contention in any event. Historically, Scottie does not play in this event, so we do not have much of a past history to draw on with him. It is early in the year and he has already teed it up a few more times than most of his companions near the top of the world rankings. With him already having knocked the rust off with a couple starts this year, I expect Scottie to get back to his winning ways this week at The Pebble Beach Pro Am.
Wyndham Clark
It is slightly surprising to see Wyndham in the field this week at The Pebble Beach Pro Am. He was the hottest name in the LIV rumor mill for quite some time until Tyrrell Hatton emerged to be the player who actually signed on the dotted line. Wyndham posted a T39 finish at The Amex a couple weeks ago. His result that week was clouded by an atrocious putting week, losing more than two shots to the field on the greens. He gained strokes in all other areas and had an exceptional week in his approach play. I think the poor putting he displayed two weeks ago obscured how good of form he is currently in. We should expect to see Wyndham’s name near the top of the leaderboard and see him post a top 10 finish this week at Pebble.
Maverick McNealy
Maverick’s name is way down the odds board this week. He collected enough points in his last start to fulfill his Major Medical Extension, which now exempts him into events for the rest of the PGA Tour season. This pick is entirely based on his quality history at this event. Since earning his tour card for the 2020 PGA Tour season, McNealy has grabbed a top five finish twice in this event already. This season he has three starts, making the cut in two of them, most recently he recorded a T37 at The Amex. The most important thing for him this season is not even his form, but the fact that he looks truly health again. Look for McNealy to finish inside the top 20 this week at Pebble.
