Snedeker Shines at Shimmering Pebble Beach THE 2013 AT&T CHAMP BROKE HIS OWN SCORING RECORD IN A SENSATIONAL SHOWING
W
hen Brandt Snedeker set the scoring record at the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach
National Pro-Am, he left the Monterey Peninsula as the No. 4 player in the world—and without a doubt the hottest. When he came back in
2015, Snedeker had tumbled to No. 63 in the world, as injuries and a change from longtime swing coach Todd Anderson to Butch Harmon had stalled his career. Pebble Beach put Snedeker
back on track. He broke his own scoring record by two strokes, with a 22-under 265, for his seventh victory on the PGA Tour, and snapped a two-year drought. “I need to buy some real estate
here,” Snedeker said. “I love being here at Pebble.” Snedeker made just one bogey
over 72 holes, and overtook third- round leader Jim Furyk and Sacra- mento native Nick Watney with his third straight 67. (Snedeker opened with a 7-under 64 at Monterey Pen- insula Country Club’s Shore Course.) Known for his putting prowess, Snedeker gained 6.4 strokes on the field with his short game and putting
the final two rounds, and didn’t record a three-putt all week. “This is probably the best week
I’ve had on the PGA Tour,” Snedeker said. “For me to make one bogey in 72 holes, I didn’t think that was possible.” Furyk entered the final
round with a one-stroke lead over Snedeker after shooting a 9-under 63 at Pebble Beach
(one off the course record), but he stumbled into a tie for
seventh after a closing 74. It was the ninth straight chance Furyk held a 54-hole lead and failed to win. Watney opened the final round with four straight birdies, but made five bogeys on the day, ultimately shooting a 69 and finishing second, three strokes back. “I thought Brandt handled himself
really well,” Watney said. “That’s what I need to be like next time.” The Thursday leaderboard in-
cluded a surprise appearance by John Daly, who opened one off the lead with a 7-under 65 at Pebble Beach. But he missed the cut for the 11th straight time at the AT&T, shooting a 1-over 72 at MPCC, and a 1-over 73 at Spyglass Hill. The week’s perfect conditions—75
degrees and cloudless skies—bumped the playing cut to 7 under. “This wasn’t exactly what you think of as Pebble Beach golf, but this is paradise the way it is now,” said eventual Masters champ Jordan Spieth, who tied with Furyk at 16 under. “But it’s actually a little easier when the winning score is 12 under, vs. 22 under.”
Stats of the Week > DRIVING DISTANCE
Two holes at Spyglass Hill (Nos. 9 and 13) are measured for driving distance by ShotLink. In the first round, NCGA alum and St. Mary’s product Derek Ernst had the long drives on both holes— 288 yards on No. 9, and 319 yards on No. 13. Two-time NCGA Player of the Year Spencer Levin had the longest drive on No. 18 at Pebble Beach on Friday, hitting it 310 yards. Levin tied for 41st at 10 under.
> GREENS IN REGULATION
The only player to hit every green in a round was Snedeker, who hit all 18 at Spyglass Hill during his second-round 67.
> ONE-PUTTS
Dustin Johnson had 14 one-putts during his final-round 66 to climb 13 spots and into a tie for fourth with Jason Day at 17 under.
> LONGEST DRIVE OF THE WEEK
The longest drive of the week was by Andrew Loupe, who piped his tee shot 369 yards on the 543-yard 18th hole at Pebble Beach during the final round.
> TOUGHEST HOLE
There were 10 holes that played under par for the week at Spyglass, including the 431-yard ninth (3.974). But the toughest hole of the entire tournament was No. 10 at Spyglass (4.237).
> UNDER PAR
All three courses played under par: MPCC (68.936), Pebble Beach (70.241) and Spyglass (71.199).
> LOW ROUNDS
Scott Brown and Day shot 9-under 62s at MPCC, one off Charlie Wi’s tournament-record 61 in 2012.
–Kevin Merfeld 14 /
NCGA.ORG / SPRING 2015
PHOTOS–BRANDT SNEDEKER: (RIGHT) AP; (TOP) STAN BADZ/PGA TOUR
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