This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Pebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach Golf Links - Par 72 - 6,816 yards
Spyglass Hill Golf Course - Par 72 - 6,960 yards
Monterey Peninsula CC - Par 71 - 6,958 yards
Field - 156 Entrants
Purse - $7.6M
The Preview
The USGA has already begun its course prep for the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June, but 156 players and amateurs will get a first-hand look at the venue this week. You might expect a solid contingent of major qualifiers to flock here in preparation, but the field is actually fairly underwhelming, with just one player ranked in the top 10 of the OWGR making an appearance. Pebble Beach played host to the U.S. Open in 2010, and not a single entrant managed to finish under par. However, the AT&T Pro-Am has played much easier in recent years, with each winner reaching at least 17-under since 2015. It could be a different story this time around, however, with tightened fairways and thick rough in play. The weather also figures to play a major role as high winds, chilly temperatures and precipitation are expected throughout the tournament. The rain may result in receptive and slower greens, but the rough will become even more penalizing. Aside from two rounds at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill GC and Monterey Peninsula are also part of a three-course rotation before the field cuts down to the low-60 and ties after 54 holes.
Recent Champions
2018 - Ted Potter Jr.
2017 - Jordan Spieth
2016 - Vaughn Taylor
2015 - Brandt Snedeker
2014 - Jimmy Walker
2013 - Brandt Snedeker
2012 - Phil Mickelson
2011 - D.A. Points
2010 - Dustin Johnson
2009 - Dustin Johnson
Key Stats to Victory
Driving accuracy - Distance isn't much of a factor with all three courses being kept under 7,000 yards, but finding the fairway becomes essential to avoid thick, wet rough
SG: Approach - Tiny greens at Pebble Beach place an emphasis on precision with irons and full wedges, plus there's an extra par-3 at Monterey Peninsula CC
Rough proximity - The USGA has already narrowed the fairways at Pebble in preparation for June, so it'll be important to hit greens from the rough
SG: Around-the-Green - Scrambling takes on a larger role due to the aforementioned smaller greens
Yahoo Value Picks - based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Dustin Johnson - $48
The third-ranked player in the OWGR didn't waste much time picking up his first win of 2019, collecting a two-stroke victory at the European Tour's inaugural Saudi International. He not only posted back-to-back wins at Pebble Beach in 2009 and 2010, but Johnson also owns four top-4s in his last five trips to the Pro-Am. He led the PGA Tour in both SG: Total and birdie average last season.
Jason Day - $44
Day, who tied for runner-up honors here in 2018, has never missed a cut at Pebble Beach in nine career appearances. He's racked up seven top-15s at the event, including no result worse than a T11 in his past four trips. The Aussie is coming off a T5 at the Farmers Insurance Open, in which he ranked second in SG: Off-the-Tee and sixth in SG: Putting.
Phil Mickelson - $42
The all-time earnings leader and four-time champion at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Mickelson is in a comfortable spot to rebound from a surprising missed cut on familiar turf at TPC Scottsdale last week. Prior to his MC at the Phoenix Open, Lefty tied for second at the Desert Classic, and he's currently third on Tour in birdie average and 10th in rough proximity.
Glue Guys
Brandt Snedeker - $35
Snedeker set the tournament scoring record when he won for the second time at this event in 2015, notching a three-shot win at 22-under-par. Since then, he's gone 4-T35 at Pebble to bring his career total to eight made cuts in 11 showings at the Pro-Am. Additionally, Sneds posted a top-10 at the 2010 U.S. Open. He hasn't missed a cut since July's Open Championship, proving himself worthy of both cash-game and GPP consideration.
Chez Reavie - $34
Reavie has yet again found a groove throughout the early portion of the season, compiling his third top-10 since the CJ Cup at last week's Phoenix Open. He's also top-10 on Tour in a handful of stats including driving accuracy, SG: Approach, SG: Total and proximity from 125-150 yards. Reavie has missed the cut more often than not at the AT&T Pro-Am, but he turned his misfortune around last year with a T2.
Branden Grace - $32
Known to play well in tough conditions, Grace gave Rickie Fowler a run for his money during Sunday's final round at TPC Scottsdale before ultimately ceding a back-nine lead. Nonetheless, Grace hit over 70 percent of the greens in regulation throughout the tourney while ranking top-8 in SG: Approach and putts per GIR. He finished T20 in his Pebble Beach Pro-Am debut last year.
Bargain Bin
Russell Henley - $28
Henley notched his best result of the season in Scottsdale last week, finishing under par in all four rounds en route to a tie for 15th. He hit 56 of 72 greens in regulation at the Waste Management, good enough to rank T4 among the field. Henley also captured a T15 at Pebble Beach in 2018.
Nick Watney - $26
Since a missed cut at the season opener, Watney has remained steady with seven straight made cuts and three top-30 finishes. He's up to 17th in putting from inside 10 feet, which should come in handy on the poa annua greens this week. Furthermore, Watney has amassed a trio of top-10s throughout his career at Pebble, including a runner-up finish in 2015 when he reached 19-under-par.
Graeme McDowell - $20
McDowell hasn't appeared in a tournament setting since a T11 at the RSM Classic in mid-November, but he couldn't miss out on a chance to prepare for his 2010 U.S. Open title defense at Pebble Beach. During his lone major championship victory at this venue nine years ago, McDowell was the only player in the field not to finish over par. He also added a T7 at the Pro-Am in 2014 before missing the cut by a wide margin last year.
Strategy Tips on Yahoo this week
Three guaranteed rounds will limit the damage for anyone in your lineup who happens to miss the cut, but there isn't quite as much value in the bottom price ranges compared to recent weeks. This somewhat negates the intrigue of a studs-and-duds approach, but snagging one of Johnson or Day at the top can pay dividends given their separation in terms of betting odds. Targeting veterans with sometimes boring, yet steady games like Snedeker and Paul Casey is one way to go during what should be a tough week in terms of scoring.
