Dustin Johnson returns to PGA Tour action for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am following a runner-up finish at the European Tour’s Saudi International last week. It will be his first event on the mainland for the 2020 season, as the No. 5 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking seeks a third victory at Pebble Beach Golf Links. We break down the fantasy golf options for this week in a rather top-heavy field.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Fantasy Golf Top 30
(Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock – USA TODAY Sports)
Here are my top-30 fantasy golf rankings for the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
30. Ted Potter Jr.
The 2018 champion won the event after entering the week at No. 243 in the OWGR. He followed it up with a missed cut last year, and he comes in off MCs at both the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Farmers Insurance Open to slip to 315 in the world.
29. J.B. Holmes
Holmes has collected back-to-back T-16 results, but he has to feel disappointed with both results after falling down the leaderboard over the weekends. His overall game has been very strong, but he missed the cut at Pebble each of the last two years.
28. Daniel Berger
Berger tied for ninth last week for his first top-10 showing since a co-runner-up result at the Puerto Rico Open last February. He hasn’t played this event since a T-10 in 2015.
27. Cameron Champ
Already a winner this season at the Safeway Open, Champ debuted here last year with a T-28. He fares better on longer courses, but he can still create scoring opportunities and go low.
(Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel – USA TODAY Sports)
26. Alex Noren
Noren’s among the best in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green over everyone’s last 24 rounds on courses shorter than 7,200 yards, according to my model at Fantasy National. He’s coming off a two-week break and hasn’t missed a cut in 10 straight worldwide events.
25. Rafa Cabrera Bello
RCB makes his first professional appearance in America since last year’s BMW Championship. He finished T-26 in 2018 and T-22 last year and is a great scorer at short venues.
24. Lucas Glover
Glover hasn’t been playing too often early in the season, and he has slipped to No. 80 in the world as a result. He’s looking to follow up a T-7 last year.
23. Jimmy Walker
Walker missed the cut in 2019 after a T-8 finish in 2018. He made the cut each of the last two weeks and is an excellent scrambler at the shorter courses.
22. Max Homa
Homa’s looking to follow up at T-10 at this event in 2019 and he comes in off of consecutive top 10 results to vault inside the top 100 of the OWGR.
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21. Matthew NeSmith
NeSmith has made five consecutive cuts since missing the weekend at the Houston Open in the fall. The PGA Tour rookie struggles a little around the greens, but he’s strong on approach and can scramble with the best in the field.
20. Russell Knox
Knox has one of the best approach games of those in attendance this week. He finished inside the top 15 each of the last two years here and he’s riding a streak of 11 straight made cuts this season.
19. Kevin Na
Na has had surprisingly little success at this event for a short hitter who has four career PGA Tour wins. He excels on the shorter par 4s.
18. Patrick Rodgers
Rodgers is the best Poa Annua putter in the field. He’s coming off a T-16 result last week and a T-9 at the Farmers to climb to No. 278 in the world.
17. Tom Hoge
Hoge enters with four straight made cuts including a T-6 at The American Express and a solo fifth at the Farmers. He has been great on approach of late and he’s dialed in from this week’s key proximity distance of 125-150 yards.
16. Scott Piercy
Piercy finished tied for sixth last week in Phoenix. He looks to improve on a T-10 result last year which followed a steady trend of improvement over his last three appearances at this event.
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15. Adam Hadwin
Hadwin tied for 40th last week in his return to professional play following the birth of his child. He’s an excellent putter on all surfaces and has a great approach game.
14. Branden Grace
Grace tied for ninth last week for a second straight top finish at the WMPO. He gained 1.24 strokes per round on approach, according to Data Golf, to rank seventh among those who played all four rounds.
13. Chez Reavie
Reavie has missed the cut in three straight events after failing to play all four rounds in just seven of 29 events last year. He followed up a co-runner-up finish at Pebble Beach in 2018 with a T-38 last year.
12. Jim Furyk
Furyk leads the week’s stat model in SG: Approach on courses shorter than 7,200 yards. He has played here three of the last five years with finishes of T-7, T-66 and T-14 last year. This is his first event since a T-23 finish at The RSM Classic.
11. Kevin Kisner
Generally a better performer on longer courses where he can use his added distance to his advantage, Kisner has an underrated approach game. He’ll still be able to take advantage of the shorter par 4s.
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10. Graeme McDowell
McDowell is coming off a win at last week’s Saudi International to jump all the way from 104 to 47 in the OWGR. He returns to the site of his 2010 US Open win, and while the conditions will be much different than back then, he finished T-18 last year and is in top form after besting a much stronger field last week.
9. Viktor Hovland
Hovland has the best approach game in the field on these shorter courses and he’s an excellent scorer on par 4s ranging from 350-400 yards.
8. Jason Day
Day is one of the best putters in the field on the difficult Poa surface. He’s a good scrambler who can dominate short par 4s. He has three straight top 10 results in this event.
(Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel – USA TODAY Sports)
7. Matthew Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick missed the cut here last year. He has been in strong form on the European Tour with five top 10s in seven events since late September.
6. Matt Kuchar
Kuchar leads the field in SG: Scrambling on the short courses and he excels at the 125-150-yard shot. He tied for 16th last week in his first event on the mainland this year.
5. Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay finished fourth at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and tied for 34th at the Euro Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He’ll play his first full-field PGA Tour event since the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. At No. 8 in the OWGR, he’s the second-best golfer in attendance, behind Johnson.
4. Phil Mickelson
Last year’s champ preps for his defense off of a T-3 last week which was his best result since the win. He has finished T-2 or better in three of his last four tries at this event.
3. Paul Casey
Casey was the runner-up to Mickelson last year following a T-8 finish in 2018. He’s among the best in the field in creating scoring chances at shorter venues, and he ranks eighth in SG: Approach.
2. Brandt Snedeker
Snedeker, the 2013 & ’15 champ here, also finished fourth in 2017. He’s one of the best Poa putters in attendance and the best at avoiding three-putts on the unpredictable surface. He tied for third at Torrey Pines, but he has a further advantage on a short course to neutralize the longer hitters.
1. Dustin Johnson
The 2009 and ’10 champ comes in off a runner-up finish last week at the Saudi International. Once thought of mainly as a long hitter, he’s second in this week’s field in Birdies Gained on courses shorter than 7,200 yards.
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