RIGHT, this is where the golf season REALLY gets going. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the top ten in the world rankings are all teeing it up at Pebble Beach.
This week’s Pebble Beach pro-am is the first of eight Signature events on the PGA Tour this year, with an elite field of just 80 players, and no 36 hole cut to fret about.
McIlroy is the defending champion, with last year’s victory providing the springboard for even bigger wins at The Players, and – best of all – The Masters.
He is a best priced 14-1 to retain his title, which appeals a lot more than the general 3-1 about Scheffler. The world No 1’s odds continue to offer about as much value as a Siberian deep freezer.
Scheffler almost recovered from a shoddy start in Phoenix last week, finishing in a tie for third. But at his odds, almost just doesn’t cut it.
Pebble Beach is unique on the PGA Tour, as a course that measures less than 7,000 yards. And Spyglass Hill, which hosts one of the four rounds this week, is the second shortest, at 7,071.
Throw in the fact that Pebble has the smallest greens on Tour as well, and it is easy to see why it is difficult to distance yourself from the pack.
SIX players had at least a share of the final round lead last year, before McIlroy edged out Shane Lowry by a couple of shots – with Scheffler six back in a share of ninth.
It is likely to be another right affair this time. So I want to be on a few of the longer priced contenders – especially Jason Day, who is widely available at a mouth-watering 45-1.
Day is due a win at Pebble. He has clocked up five top fives here in the past, and four other top tens. He looks the value bet, ahead of 2023 champion Justin Rose, who arrives on the back of a stunning victory down the coast at Torrey Pines.
Rose was one of the players who hit the top of the day four leaderboard last year, before slipping into a tie for third. He looks sure to be thereabouts again, and the 28-1 on offer is very tempting.
Si Woo Kim was bang in the mix again last week. He followed up his tied second at Torrey with a share of third in Phoenix.
His Pebble form is OK without being great – a couple of top 15s – but at 25-1 he has to enter the each way reckoning again.
Pierceson Coody was flagged up in this column as one of the Korn Ferry Tour graduates to keep an eye on in 2026. A share of second behind Rose a couple of weeks ago reinforced that view.
The bookies are not taking any chances with Coody, but 66-1 still looks reasonable. And 50-1 shot Shane Lowry’s chances of going one better than last year should not be ruled out,
Ryo Hisatsune also finished joint runner-up at Torrey before adding a top ten in Phoenix. So his 125-1 quote makes him the pick of the outsiders.
The DP World Tour – otherwise known as the Patrick Reed glory trail – is taking a week off. But Reed’s former LIV touring buddies are back in action in Adelaide.
If you picked Elvis Smylie to win LIV’s first 72 hole event in Saudi Arabia last week, good on ya! Most of us were all shook up by that outcome, especially runner-up Jon Rahm.
Predictably, Rahm is a hot favourite to go one better this time, at around 9-2, with fellow Spaniard David Puig edging Bryson DeChambeau for second place in the market on most lists. At nine or ten to one, both are too short for me.
Defending champion Joaquin Niemann is a more generous-looking 18-1. But he failed to impress in Dubai or Saudi Arabia. I prefer the duo who shared second place here in 2025 – 20-1 shot Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer, a 33-1 chance.
Ancer warmed up nicely when finishing in a tie for fourth last week, while Ortiz recovered from a slow start to play the final two rounds in 11 under par.
New LIV recruit Ben An also shaped well with a top ten in Saudi. So he has each way potential at 33-1.
And if we are going to see someone else land an Elvis-style hit, 110-1 shot Scott Vincent could be the man to make some noise. The Zimbabwe golfer hinted at better things to come when claiming a share of 13th last week.
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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