PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Pebble Beach Golf Links’s lone cypress logo is one of the best in the business.
The resort and the shops near the practice putting green are well aware that the logo is in hot demand and you have an endless array of options of logoed gear from just about any apparel maker you can think of. This is a well-stocked space and there’s also a pop-up AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am shop to go with a merchandise shop near the 17th hole.
The Lone Cypress Shop has just about everything, including the robe available in guest rooms at The Lodge and Pebble Beach spa products. I was digging some of the retro T-shirts, Vineyard Vines belts, the stuffed animal seal for my daughter and an old-school tournament pennant, which I haven’t seen for a long time.
Here’s a look at some of the merchandise on display this week at The Lone Cypress Shop and pop-up tournament shop at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“I don’t think there’s ever been an amateur play with me who didn’t have the time of their life.”
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Peter Malnati understands why some of his fellow competitors might take issue with three of the four sponsor exemptions into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am being granted to members of the PGA Tour’s player directors on the Policy Board — namely Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and himself — who happened to be among the six players who voted unanimously to approve the Tour’s billion-dollar deal with Strategic Sports Group.
As Golfweek reported this week, multiple players described the choices for exemptions into the first-time signature event with a limited field of 80 and playing for $20 million with no cut as “shady,” “fishy” and “collusion.”
“You don’t even have to be looking at it to see that that could look bad,” Malnati said. “I get that.”
But Malnati also defended his selection as one of the four invites.
“I know why I felt worthy of writing a letter to get an exemption here. It’s not because I’m on the board. It’s not because I vote. I felt worthy writing a letter because I come to this event every single year that I’ve been on Tour, and I don’t think there’s ever been an amateur play with me who didn’t have the time of their life. That’s why I felt comfortable writing a letter asking for an exemption,” he said. “If the reason I got that exemption is because I’m on the board, that’s not right. If the reason I got the exemption is because this is my 10th year, I would say six of the nine I’ve played with Don Colleran from FedEx, but those other three years I played with three different amateurs, and there’s always two amateurs in your group, not just one, and I take pride in making sure that those guys or gals have the time of their life. I think that gets back to Steve John and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation that if you come to this tournament, if you’ve never heard of Peter Malnati, he might be the guy that you want to play with.
“That’s why I felt comfortable asking for one. That’s why I feel comfortable having gotten one. If I got one because I’m a board member and that’s the only reason, I’ll fully admit that’s not right, but I don’t think that’s why I got one, and that’s certainly not why I asked for one.”
Dennis Roberson, who has been the longtime tournament manager of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial CC in Fort Worth, Texas, wrote on social media that the complaint by players over the AT&T exemptions is “way overblown by people with sour grapes.”
He continued, “If a player has supported your event for many years and proven himself to be a great pro-am partner, that is EXACTLY the kind of player you give an exemption to.”
Malnati finished T-4 at Pebble last year and opened with 3-under 69 on Thursday. Asked why he plays well at this event he said, “I play well here because I’m happy here. Like I’m happy everywhere, but this is my favorite place, and the golf is almost secondary to just the most — this is the most amazing place. Then secondly, it’s fun for me to give to others, and we don’t get to do that during a PGA Tour event because nobody gives a shit about you during a PGA Tour event. This week there’s a partner that you’re playing with who only does this once a year. It’s fun for me to give to them. That takes pressure off me. If I fail at golf but I make them have a good time, it’s still a good day, whereas a normal week, if I fail at golf, it’s like, what am I doing? That helps me. I think attitude-wise, you get bumpy poa annua greens sometimes. You get bad weather sometimes. That stuff doesn’t bother me. I just love it here. And I’m also good at golf. I don’t always prove it, but I’m also good at golf. I’m going to play good anywhere, but here brings out the best in me.”
Everything you need to know ahead of the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
There’s one name at the top of the leaderboard following the opening round of the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he got there via a chip-in on his final shot of the day.
With intermittent sun and showers Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill, Thomas Detry took advantage, shooting 9-under 63 at Spyglass and is the solo leader after the opening round. His approach shot on 18 ended up in the right rough, but no issue for Detry, who chipped in for his 10th birdie of the round.
Patrick Cantlay is solo second a shot behind. He had eight birdies and no bogeys.
Last week’s winner Matthieu Pavon is solo third at 7 under, two back. Viktor Hovland at the 2023 BMW Championship and the 2023 Tour Championship was the last golfer to win consecutive starts.
Rory McIlroy led for a period of the first round but was penalized for a improper drop during a late-round struggle. He shot 1-under 71 in his first PGA Tour round of 2024.
The 80-player field is competing for a $20 million purse and $3.6 million first-place prize. There is no cut after 36 holes. Justin Rose is the defending champion, and he shot 4 under in the opening round at Spyglass Hill.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the second round of the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. All times listed are ET.
The second signature event of the PGA Tour’s 2024 season is here as a loaded field of 80 pros has descended upon Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the Monterey Peninsula.
The amateurs in the field will play alongside their partners for the first two rounds — one at Pebble Beach, one at Spyglass Hill — before it’s just the pros at Pebble Beach over the weekend.
Among the world’s best in the field are Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa.
The pro-am competition will take place the first two days.
One of the best weeks of golf is here, even if it has been reduced a bit.
The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is set to kick off Thursday as the first full-field signature event of the PGA Tour’s season. Unlike in year’s past, there are only 80 players in the field, but playing with them the first two rounds will be celebrities from all realms.
Bill Murray. Josh Allen. Aaron Rodgers. Buster Posey. And dozens of others will tee it up at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill the first two rounds before the competition switches to pros only at Pebble Beach over the weekend.
Here’s a look at the best photos of celebrities at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“Happy to be here, and it’s better than being in class.”
To say the past two weeks for Nick Dunlap have been a whirlwind would be an understatement.
First a trip from Alabama to La Quinta, California, where by week’s end he would make history, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event in 33 years. Then back to his home state and to the University of Alabama, where the 20-year-old was in the midst of his sophomore season. He had a big decision to make, whether to turn professional or remain an amateur and finish out the season.
“I would say I knew that I was probably going to turn pro just with the opportunity that had been presented, but also I wanted to go back and talk to my teammates and talk to my parents and my coach and get their opinion and their two cents worth before I did anything,” Dunlap said.
“I’ve dreamed about doing this my whole life and playing golf on the PGA Tour. To finally be here and to be able to do that as a 20-year-old is pretty cool.”
His first professional start will be Thursday when he tees it up alongside Xander Schauffele at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first full-field signature event of the PGA Tour’s season. Although Dunlap didn’t receive the first-place prize money or FedEx Cup points from his win at the American Express, he did receive fully exempt Tour status through 2026 and entry into the remaining signature events of 2024.
Guaranteed money, job security and more were too much to pass up for the reigning U.S. Amateur champion.
“Hectic, but also really cool,” Dunlap said of his past couple weeks. “To kind of — I’ve had numerous moments where you just kind of have to take it all in, it’s overwhelming.”
Nick Dunlap celebrates sinking a putt on the 18th green to win the 2024 American Express at PGA West in La Quinta, California. (Photo: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)
Instead of tracking due dates for homework and managing test schedules, Dunlap is tasked with developing a professional schedule on the whim, one that includes stops at the first three majors of the year.
During his pre-tournament press conference Wednesday, Dunlap said he hasn’t quite figured out his full schedule but is piecing it together.
Dunlap’s rise shouldn’t be a surprise. Last summer, he became the best amateur golfer in the world, capped with his U.S. Amateur victory at Cherry Hills Country Club outside of Denver. He became the second golfer ever to win a U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur. The other? Some guy named Tiger Woods.
He played a practice round Tuesday with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns. He also is plenty familiar with Ludvig Aberg, who he played with in college a handful of times.
“Yeah, it’s been really cool, so it’s kind of come full circle in a short amount of time,” Dunlap said. “Scottie and Sam were awesome. I’ve reached out to them on numerous occasions the last week just seeing what their advice is on certain things and their opinions on some of the things I’m doing moving forward.”
Pebble Beach is definitely an upgrade over a college classroom. However, the learning has only started for Dunlap on learning to be a professional golfer.
“Happy to be here, and it’s better than being in class.”
This week, a loaded 80-man field is on the Monterey Peninsula for the PGA Tour’s second signature event of the year, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The Crosby Clambake will look a bit different this time around, with the celebrity amateurs playing in just the first two rounds. Monterey Peninsula Country Club has been removed from the rotation, so the field will play Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill over the first two days before just the pros take on Pebble over the weekend.
Thanks to its elevated status, this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am boasts its best-ever field that includes Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schaufelle, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Here are 10 of the best performers from the last five AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Ams.
The Monterey Peninsula always offers spectacular views.
The PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing heads up the California coast this week to the Monterey Peninsula.
The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is set to begin Thursday, and it’s the second signature event of the PGA Tour season and the first with a full field of 80 players. Also included in the first two rounds are celebrities, with play being contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill.
Come the weekend, the focus shifts to the pros, who will battle it out at Pebble Beach for a $20 million purse and $3.6 million first-place prize.
Here’s a look at the best photos from the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Everything you need to know for first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
It’s time for the first full-field signature event of the year.
The 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am kicks off Thursday, as 80 of the world’s best golfers head to the Monterey Peninsula to compete at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill. Those will be the two courses in play over the first two rounds, with professionals paired with amateurs the first 36 holes before moving to only professionals competing at Pebble Beach on the weekend.
The field is competing for a $20 million purse and $3.6 million first-place prize. There is no cut after 36 holes. Justin Rose is the defending champion.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. All times listed are ET.
#Bills’ Josh Allen likely skipping 2024 Pro Bowl for golf:
The Buffalo Bills will be represented at the Pro Bowl Games, but quarterback Josh Allen is not among those very keen on the all-star event.
According to the Buffalo News, it’s expected that Allen is going to participate in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the third straight year. Just like the Pro Bowl Games, the event will be held this weekend.
The NFL world was sent into a bit of a spin on Tuesday when Indianapolis Colts backup QB Gardner Minshew was named to the AFC roster for the event.
However, it was pretty clear immediately that this meant Allen was among those who declined an invite before Minshew was named.
When the initial Pro Bowl rosters were announced, Allen was named a first alternate. Therefore, he would have been asked sooner than Minshew was, indicating Allen had said no.
Allen appeared on Buffalo’s injury report for most of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury but played through it. Last season, the same scenario happened with an elbow injury. In both cases, the Bills QB ended up taking part in the golf tournament.
While Allen declined, earlier this Bills week receiver Stefon Diggs accepted his Pro Bowl nod. That brings Buffalo to three players representing the team in the all-star weekend: Diggs, running back James Cook and offensive lineman Dion Dawkins.
