To me, the biggest takeaway is the continued great performance by Graham DeLaet. He had a solid Friday round and followed that up with an impressive Sunday performance. Graham often finds himself in sticky situation, but he is one of the best scramblers on tour and can drain clutch putts when the victory is within reach. I expect DeLaet ride this momentum to his first win soon and be a popular ‘sleeper’ pick come Masters time.
Now, this week offers up one of the Tour’s best known events at one of its most beautiful courses. Earlier this season, Charlie asked me for a list of courses on my bucket list and Pebble Beach was right at the top of that list. You only have to flip on the tube for a few seconds to see why. The course is perfect and the event is unique. We do not often get to see celebrities, amateurs and pros walking the same fairways during competition but Pebble provides us that luxury.
Ed. Note: Bill Murray is one of the prominent figures at Pebble Beach and finally won the tournament a couple years ago with D.A. Points. Murray did a Reddit AMA a little while back where he talked about golf. I was waiting for the perfect Sportandfashion-news PGA post to share it, and I think Pebble Beach preview is the perfect time to do it.
The current defending champ, Brandt Snedeker, is a guy whom can sneak his way into a power position in these tournaments but I am not convinced he is back to his old self quite yet. He got himself banged up trying to ride a Segway and until he shows a flash I think he is still recovering from injury meaning it is hard to believe he can put it together for all four rounds.
Although it seems to be a common pick, I like Hunter Mahan this week. Hunter was money in all the majors last year and he loves to get his game going, especially leading up the Matchplay in a few weeks. Hunter has finished in the top 16 here the last three years, highlighted by a second place finish in 2011. He does not necessarily blast the ball off the tee but he is consistent, along with being in the top 5 on Tour in strokes gained putting. Hunter is one of those guys who needs a major under his belt be considered amongst the elite but watch for him to pile up some wins while he waits for that opportunity.
I don’t always pick a sleeper but I got a funny feeling about local boy, Jerry Kelly, this week. Jerry missed the cut here last year but he looked good in Hawaii, notching a 3rd place finished at the Sony Open. Now, I would not be surprised if Kelly is a total flop but what the hell, it’s worth a guess!
Even though it’s still frigid here in the Midwest, stay patient guys. Spring is coming. (I think..) We will be out there swinging the sticks soon.
Bryan Reynolds
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