The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits the Monterey Peninsula for the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Three courses will host this week’s tournament: Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course. Last year’s edition was won by Tom Hoge, who beat Jordan Spieth by two strokes to pick up his first PGA Tour victory.
Player to Fade:
One of the great journeyman players on the PGA Tour, Greg Chalmers last played full-time during the 2017-18 season. It has been a struggle since for Chalmers, registering just 1 top 25 finish in 32 starts since then. This event has by no means been a cakewalk for Chalmers either, making the cut here just 4 times in 13 past starts, with a best finish of T-35 coming back in 2010. Chalmers will turn 50 later this year and qualify to play on the Champions Tour, where he will likely have more success, but until then, he will continue to struggle and miss the cut this week.
Dark Horse:
Trey Mullinax has had a quiet season so far, with just 1 top 10 and 2 top 30’s in 7 starts. Nevertheless, there is reason for hope this week. In 4 previous starts in this event, Mullinax has 1 top 20 and 3 top 30 finishes. Mullinax is ranked 23rd on tour in Scrambling From The Rough, which will be a key to success this week, as Pebble Beach has some thick, nasty, gnarly greenside rough. Mullinax isn’t likely to go out and smoke the field this week, but another top 30 finish is certainly within reason.
Top 10:
The defending winner of this event, Tom Hoge has put together a nice 2022-23 campaign so far, with 3 top 10’s and 5 top 25’s in 9 starts. Finishing in the top 12 each of the last two year’s here, Hoge has a game that fits the trio of courses well, ranking 1st on tour in Strokes Gained: Approach The Green and 25th in Scrambling From The Rough. One of the better ball strikers on tour, Hoge will certainly be a factor this week on his way to a top 10 finish.
Winner:
A fan favorite on tour, Joel Dahmen is making his first start since the birth of his son a few weeks ago. Dahmen’s game has been pretty solid to start the season off, as he is on a streak of 3 straight top 10 finishes and has had 5 top 20 finishes in 7 starts. Dahmen has had mixed results in this event, with 2 top 15’s and 3 finishes of 45th of worse in 5 trips to Monterey, highlighted by a T-6 finish here last year. Dahmen has a game that is suited for this tournament, ranking inside the top 30 in both Driving Accuracy Percentage and Greens In Regulation Percentage, as well as 33rd in Strokes Gained: Around-The-Green. Max Homa won for the first time since becoming a dad last year at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open and we predict that Joel Dahmen will make it two weeks in a row for new dads with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am!