Pebble Beach Golf Links/Monterey Peninsula Country Club/Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Pebble Beach, CA
Thursday Feb 11th - Sunday Feb 14th, 2016
by David Barwise
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| Photo: www.pebblebeach.com |
It’s day 3 and atop the leaderboard - where we were expecting to see big names Spieth, Johnson and defending champion Snedeker – we’re seeing Iwata, Kang and Reavie. As a big star-studded event (with both top golfers and celebs in the mix), we typically expect to see the top-flight golfers run away with it. However, with the exception of the resurgent Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose who is reportedly on cloud nine with his playing partner Justin Timberlake, the golfing glitterati find themselves well out of touch with the leaders.
Will the big guns contend on Sunday? Can they even make the cut? Let’s have a look…
Brandt Snedeker
Score = 143 (E)
Position = T75
For many people, Sneds came into this week the hot favourite. Typically strong in this event, the defending champion has won the event in 2 of his last 3 visits. Already achieving victory on tour this season, the American has climbed 35 places in the OWGR since the start of the year thanks to swing adjustments with coach Butch Harmon.
He only has Pebble Beach remaining which is his strongest course. However, we have two important things to remember. (1) He’s not going to win. In 2015 and 2013 when he won the tournament, he was already -12 and -9 respectively at the halfway stage. Brandt is good, but not good enough to make up that kind of deficit. (2) The last time Snedeker was hovering around the even-par mark halfway through this event (144 in 2014) he was cut.
Prediction = CUT
Jordan Spieth
Score = 140 (-3)
Position = T36
3-under par is by no means a bad score. But we had expected a lot more from the world number 1 at this stage. He currently finds himself 8 strokes back. It’s a big ask for him to claw his way back, and his putter has so far remained cold for the week. Personally, I’m beginning to wonder if his hectic schedule of jet-setting across different exotic locations to take part in different tours is taking its toll.
I have no doubt that he will bring a fight though. He has the class to come back and history favours those who finish the week with back-to-back rounds at Pebble Beach. I just fear it’ll be too little too late.
Prediction = Top 20
Dustin Johnson
Score = 143 (E)
Position = T75
Maybe not the most comfortable ball-striker this week, I imagine Wayne Gretzky will have expected more from his playing partner thus far. After finishing T4 and T2 in his last couple of appearances in this event, many pundits were tipping DJ to take victory this time around; those same people will cringe to see him eleven strokes back.
But let us not forget that Dustin’s biggest stumbling block - Monterey Peninsula CC (where he has averaged +1 in his last three appearances) – is now behind him. This has always been an event that Johnson has grown into. Subsequently, he has always had a strong showing at Pebble Beach on the final day where he has carded a 66 on both of his last Sundays. Coupling this with his ability to handle the notoriously windy conditions and his affinity on the Poa annua putting surface, I can see DJ surprising a few people.
Predictions = Top 5
There we go. My predictions. Watch them fail.
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