There’s nothing quite like sweating out a 16-foot putt with the faint laughter of Ray Romano in the background. Welcome to the Pro-Am at Pebble Beach as we wind down the multi-course events on tour. The good news is this is an elevated event, one that has brought out most of the big names — including the season debut of Scottie Scheffler. There are a few ways to navigate this week’s first-round leader from the elements at Spyglass to the precision needed at Pebble Beach. Here are the two best AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am first-round leader picks!
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First Round Leader Best Bets for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am First Round Leader Picks: Patrick Cantlay
We are doubling down on our Cantlay love, although this will not be a season-long affair. There continues to be a solid fit on the West Coast with a slower poa putting surface. Be it the wind of Spyglass or the tight landing zones at Pebble, Cantlay won’t be new to either challenge. He’s top 10 in the field in total strokes gained at Pebble Beach and is a master at navigating off the tee. This is far from a grip-and-rip course, so knowing when to take a little off the driver is a helpful strategy.
Cantlay is also top 10 in the current field in course history at Spyglass. No matter the starting point, Cantlay should benefit from prior experience — successful experience, at that. There are few categories that matter more here like gaining strokes around the green or on poa grass. The conditions won’t be anywhere near major-like with the amateurs in town; it’s part of why the green will roll more slowly on both courses. I like the familiarity and a risk or two early from Cantlay, pushing him to an early tournament lead.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am First Round Leader Picks: Robert MacIntyre
It’s not often we choose a first timer as an outright winner for any PGA event, but this is far from the typical event — and MacIntyre is not the average debutant. We’ve seen strong play already on tour from MacIntyre, with two top-20s in three tries. He was a two-time winner last year and brings a strong sense of navigating courses similar to Pebble Beach, specifically his ability to play with, not against, the elements. Consider this a strong play in the event things do get a tad windy, as the Scottish native is no stranger to windy conditions.
Beyond that, he has solid odds since it will be the first time MacIntyre will have both Pebble Beach and the pro-am elements to conquer. This is a course that can be significantly easier with a strong game off the tee and an even greater presence around the green. Those are two areas where MacIntyre has already shined in the early part of the season. All courses this week have wind and tight greens, specifically Pebble. He may be new to this event, but he’s still a solid fit for either course.
