News

PGA Tour Spotlight Moves Up the California Coast

Published

16 years ago

Feb 9, 2010

Some will call this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach national Pro-Am a preview of the United States Open Championship set to play out over the same venue this June. However, those that do may not be looking as close as they should.

Sure the four champions of the Pebble Beach hosted U.S. Open’s – Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, also have Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Trophies (or versions of them under various sponsorship reigns) at home but that is about as far as the comparison should go.

As many players have stated, it does not take a lot of rounds to gain enough knowledge to play Pebble Beach Golf Links, the host of a three-course tournament rotation, well but playing there in February is far different than playing it in U.S. Open conditions.

Rain has already been falling this week on the Monterey Peninsula and the course set-up will be much softer than what the USGA will lay out from June 17-20, 2010. Yes, the 40 yard fairways at Pebble Beach have already been narrowed to almost half that span but at this time of year drives will land softly on them. Come June those same drives will be bouncing off wildly into the rough.

Of course, many players already know this, and combined with the normally slow pro-am format, a fair number of the tour’s best players, including last week’s winner Steve Stricker, will not be present this week in Northern California.

That is not to say that the field will not be flush with quality players. The overall recognition level of the combatants maybe the strongest of the season so far, rivaling the attendance at the limited-field season-opening SBS Championship.

Last year’s winner of the rain shortened event, Dustin Johnson, will be trying to improve on his third-place finish last week at Riviera in pursuit of his third PGA Tour victory. Just five men have won AT&T National Pro-Am’s in back to back years and undoubtedly Johnson would like to join the names of Snead, Middlecoff, Watson, O’Meara, and Nicklaus in having completed the feat.

Other leading players in the field this week include perennial contender (but yet a victor) Mike Weir, the now #3 player in the world, Phil Mickelson, and Padraig Harrington. Luke Donald could also be a factor, considering his ability to keep the ball in play and his high confidence level based on a second-place finish last week.

This year the players will not have to endure Poppy Hills GC (often soggy at this time of year), the layout has been replaced by the more acceptable Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course. It will join Pebble Beach GL (Host) and Spyglass Hill in the tournament rotation for the first time since 1977.

The Shore Course is highly regarded by all who have played it. It was revamped in 2004 by the team of Forrest Fezler and Mike Strantz. It was the last project for the artistic Strantz who lost his fight with cancer the next year.

Of course, we cannot forget that there is an amateur side to this pro-am. The usual cast of suspects are back. With Golf Channel providing early round coverage you can expect a lot of air time for Ray Romano as he is the subject for their new Hank Haney Project rolling out on March 1^st.

Joining Romano and likely to show up in the TV coverage will be quarterbacks Tony Romo and Tom Brady, along with celebs Huey Lewis, Chris Berman, George Lopez, Chris O’Donnell, Michael Bolton, Kenny G. and John O’Hurley.

Golf Channel will have live broadcasts from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. (all time quoted as EST) on Thursday and Friday. CBS picks up the weekend from 3 P.M. until 6 P.M. on Saturday and from 3 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. on Sunday.

Notes:

The event got its start in 1937 when Sam Snead won the first Bing Crosby hosted tournament in Rancho Santa Fe and won $500.

The winner this year will pick up $1.116 million out of the $6.2 million purse.

This year celebrates 25 years with AT&T as the primary sponsor.

The 3-course rotation began in 1947 and then included Pebble Beach , Cypress Point Country Club, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

—

This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.