Spieth, Aaron Rodgers among big-name stars to watch at Pebble Beach
Continuing its tour of The Golden State, the PGA heads back up the Californian coast this week for one of the most iconic stops on the schedule, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
While the famous Pebble Beach Pro-Am may have lost some of its shine over the years, that certainly hasn’t meant that everyone has chosen to bypass Pebble and move straight on to next week’s WM Phoenix Open.
Both of the world’s 10th and 11th-ranked players in the OWGR, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland, return to action on the PGA Tour this week for the first time since the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this month. They join Jordan Spieth (15th) amongst the top 20 contingent.
Defending champion, Tom Hoge, returns to the site of his maiden PGA Tour win after finally breaking through at Pebble Beach last year. And of course, it wouldn’t be the Pebble Beach Pro-Am without a slew of big-name celebrities teeing it up at the historic venue as well.
Here are some of the stars to follow in action this week and a few players who could find themselves in contention for the title at the famous locale come Sunday evening.
Players and celebrities to watch at the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Jordan Spieth
Somehow, the 2017 winner has missed out on adding a second win in this event despite finishing 3rd and runner-up at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in each of his last two starts here.
Spieth, who has never missed the cut in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, came incredibly close to winning once again at Pebble last year before a costly bogey on the famous Par 3, 17th, all but handed Hoge the title. Perhaps, it will be third-time lucky for Jordan this time around.
NFL Legends and Stars
NFL Hall of Famers, Steve Young, and Larry Fitzgerald return once again to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2023. Fitzgerald, who is a two-time Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner, will be looking to complete the hat trick this weekend.
Both former Quarterback, Alex Smith, and current Buffalo Bills superstar QB, Josh Allen, also return this week for a second consecutive year. Green Bay Packers legend, Aaron Rodgers, will also tee it up once again at Pebble for the first time since 2020.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick had his best finish last year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in three attempts. The Englishman finished 6th here following four rounds in the 60s, he then proceeded to breakthrough on U.S. soil for the first time at the U.S. Open in the summer.
Prior to winning his first career major at Brookline in June, Matt had won on the DP World Tour but had yet to win in the United States despite numerous close calls.
The 28-year-old has finished 13th or better in each of his last four starts and there is no reason to think that he can’t once again be a factor in this event in 2023.
Stars of The Screen
Jason Bateman, Josh Duhamel, Scott Eastwood, Will Arnett, and of course, Bill Murray, are just a few of the stars in action this year.
Duhamel and Eastwood return to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for a second consecutive year, and of course, it wouldn’t be the Pebble Beach Pro-Am without one Bill Murray.
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Maverick McNealy
Pebble Beach is a second home for Maverick McNealy, literally, having grown up in the nearby area it’s no surprise that he has felt very comfortable at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in four starts.
McNealy, who also attended nearby Stanford University, has two top-five finishes in four starts at Pebble Beach and he has made the cut in three of the four.
The 27-year-old is playing well at the moment and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his name around the top 10 on the leaderboard once again here.
Gareth Bale
The former Tottenham, Real Madrid, and Welsh soccer star is set to make his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am debut this week after just recently announcing his retirement from soccer.
Bale, who scored over 180 goals during his career, may be making his debut this week at Pebble but he is certainly no stranger to golf and according to Jon Rahm is unfairly gifted.
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Gareth played in a Pro-Am just last week at the Farmers Insurance Open with Rahm in preparation for this week and he should be plenty accustomed to taking on some of the greatest holes in golf after reportedly having replicas of some of the world’s most famous Par 3s in his own backyard.