I had the privilege of visiting Pebble last spring on a post-graduation trip to California with friends Jack and Oren, and I was amazed at the access to the course given to golfers who don't want to pay upwards of $500 for 18 holes. We had no intention of spending a fortune on five hours of golf — even at Pebble — so we simply parked and began to stroll along the course.
I remember being amazed at seeing the narrowness of the 17th green in person, and of course I was blown away by the ocean backdrop at the scenic par-5 18th. We took a walk along the beach, chatted with course marshals, and watched a few groups go through 17. It was a great hour or so, and I resolved to someday make it back to play in person.
Aside from playing Pebble, this week is the next best thing, the opportunity to watch PGA Tour pros tackle the oceanside links. The field is always solid, with some notables including Phil Mickelson (playing Monterey Peninsula in Round 1), Dustin Johnson (Spyglass Hill), and Hunter Mahan (Pebble). The unique three-course rotation means that a true read on the leaderboard cannot be made until the completion of Round 3. Spyglass traditionally plays as the most difficult of the three, but this can always change year-to-year depending on course setup, wind direction, rough length and so on.
Also good to see Buffalonian Dudley Hart in this week's field, set to tee off today slightly before noon ET at Pebble. Hart has struggled to make starts on tour in recent years, bothered by a string of nagging injuries, and is trying to play on. He withdrew from last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open on Wednesday night, and we'll see if his body can hold up through three (or four) rounds at Pebble.
In any case, it should make for another interesting week of golf.
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