GOLF analyst Lewis Blain (@LewisBlainSport) shares his betting thoughts ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | 6th-9th February | 24th-27th October 2019 | Sky Sports
Our first preview of the 2020 golf season brings us to California for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Three courses are in rotation over the first three days before a cut is made. The top-60 and ties will progress onto Pebble Beach on Sunday.
This event can be very hit and miss with some as rounds can take upwards of five to six hours with players being paired with sponsors and celebrities alike.
The Course(s)
- Pebble Beach – Host of last year’s US Open.
- Par 72, 6,800+ yards.
- Spyglass Hill – Par 72, 6,950+ yards; only tree-lined one.
- Monterey Peninsula – Par 71, 6850+ yards; most forgiving.
The Trends
- Links-type feel although experience not vital.
- Can become a putting contest
- Driving is largely irrelevant as it’s a friendly Pro-Am setup
- GIR
- Par-4 scoring
- Wind skills
- POA greens
Brandt Snedeker (22/1 Coral)
We’re going straight in with a routine bet around this place, it seems – Brandt Snedeker. The price is a little on the short side but it’ll be a killer blow to miss out on him winning around here.
Sneds has won the competition twice, but not since 2015. But it’s not just this place that rings bells for the veteran, he loves POA surfaces and has won on a host of correlated courses.
His game is built for this test and his ranking for par-4 scoring and putting match that.
Alex Noren (45/1 SkyBet)
A curveball this week could be Alex Noren. He should be game for a links-type test and if anyone can buck the American trend around here, it could be the Swede.
He had a dire season last year – and still managed T15 in the Open, a WGC and Dunhill Links – but has come into this campaign looking a whole lot better. Three straight cuts across the pond with two being T15 finishes. He’s another one to excel in the wind too.
Decent price, decent fit. I have no qualms at backing him.
Kevin Na (70/1 SkyBet)
If there’s one man with the patience to win around here it has to be Kevin Na.
You’re getting 70/1 for a player who is the sixth-highest ranked player in the OWGR. Over the last 18 months he has picked up three trophies – Greenbrier, a place Sneds has won at, as well as the Charles Schwab and Shriners Open. He’s now a big-game hunter that can win.
He’s often done well on the west coast, finishing 4th and 5th here in the past, and is also another nice fit this week.
Patrick Rodgers (80/1 SkyBet)
P Rod is another outside with a great chance of success around here, especially as the likes of Ted Potter Jnr have won this event.
The closest he has ever gone is losing a play-off to CH3 (yeah, really) at the RSM, another seaside coastal track that involves wind.
He has a top-10 around here in the last two years and is a local lad having gone to college at Stanford. His GIR numbers last week provide major encouragement and I’m willing to take a punt on him.
Jimmy Walker (125/1 SkyBet)
We end the plan with a throw of the dice – Jimmy Walker, another former winner that I just cannot avoid at a three-figure price.
He’s not won in several years and has had a battle with health in the past, nor is he in the best of form but sometimes players like Walker pop up here and there in places they previously enjoyed – he was T8 around here in 2018, which was his best result in his first nine events that year.
The same could happen again.
Best Bets
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Brandt Snedeker (22/1 each-way Coral)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Alex Noren (45/1 each-way SkyBet)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Kevin Na, (70/1 each-way SkyBet)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Patrick Rodgers (80/1 each-way SkyBet)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – Jimmy Walker (125/1 each-way SkyBet)
