Ted Potter, Jr. holds off Dustin Johnson to win AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Ted Potter, Jr. put together a sterling final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, holding off Dustin Johnson for his second PGA TOUR victory.

Ted Potter, Jr. wasn’t supposed to pull it off. Sure, he went low on Saturday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He was even on 59 watch for much of the afternoon at Monterey Peninsula. But with the tournament title on the line, and a powerhouse like Dustin Johnson sharing the tee box, how much of a chance did Potter really have?

As it turns out – and it so often does – that’s why they still play the game.

Ted Potter, Jr., ranked 246th in the Official World Golf Ranking heading into Pebble Beach, wasn’t flawless, but he remained focused on the job at hand, and he was rewarded with his first victory since The Greenbrier in 2012.

Things looked tough right out of the gates, however. Potter made bogey on No. 1, a tough but gettable par-4, while Johnson held par. Both made matching birdies on No. 2, but the momentum shifted shortly after.

The prevailing logic at Pebble Beach, especially this week, is that the first seven holes are the true birdie opportunities. DJ, who was playing loose and fast much of the day, played the stretch in 1-under. After the opening bogey, Potter ran off four birdies in the next six holes. At 3-under on the day, he staked his claim at the top.

Slow and steady won the race

With a three-shot gap between himself and the No. 1 player in the world, Potter had every opportunity to give it up. Heck, you couldn’t have blamed him if he had realized what he was about to do, maybe gotten a little tight and squandered the lead.

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Just look at the names around him at the end of the day: Phil Mickelson and Jason Day wound up tied with Johnson at -14. So did Chez Reavie, rolling after a strong showing in Phoenix last week. Jon Rahm fell off the pace, but he was just one shot back of the lead at the start of the day. Jordan Spieth even made a run at the leaders before faltering down the stretch.

And still, Potter rolled on, keeping the pressure on Johnson without even doing much.

Potter closed the day with a grinding barrage of pars – 11 straight after his birdies on 6 and 7. For a player who broke his ankle four years ago, lost his TOUR card when he returned a year later (needing just 12 FedEx Cup points in two starts) and grinded the Web.com Tour for the last two years, it was perfectly fitting.

"“It’s definitely pleasing,” Potter told CBS Sports. “It was a struggle there [Potter broke his ankle a few years ago and took a while to come back]. It’s unbelievable right now. To get my second career win after five years away from it. Going back to the Masters is going to be another dream come true. This has just been a blast this week.”"

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Will this success last into the rest of the year? Maybe, maybe not. But that’s not Ted Potter, Jr.’s concern right now. He’s realized a lifelong dream, returning to the pinnacle of his sport, and beating some of the biggest stars today along the way.

What’s next for him? Waiting for an envelope with the postmark “Augusta, Georgia”. He’ll take that drive down Magnolia Lane just a little slower this time around.

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