Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tips, betting preview, lowdown & TV details

TV: Sky Sports golf, 8pm Thursday

Dustin Johnson and Jason Day are set to go off at single-figure prices for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and it is easy to see why.

Johnson has claimed top-ten finishes in eight of his 11 appearances in the tournament, including two wins, and demonstrated his game is in the right place by claiming victory in the Saudi International last week.

Day, meanwhile, has finished 11th or better in five of the last six years and claimed fifth spot in defence of his Farmers Insurance Open title a fortnight ago.

While play will be slow as TV cameras give their fair share of coverage to the exploits of comedians, actors and baseball players among the amateur competitors, there is plenty of serious business with English hopefuls Tommy Fleetwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick taking a look at the course for the first time, five months before Pebble Beach hosts the US Open.

Ian Wilkerson's top tip

Chez Reavie 33-1
Day and Johnson were among a group of four players who were unable to chase down last year's three-shot winner Ted Potter and it seems likely that another member of that quartet can make his presence felt in the three-course tournament this week.

Chez Reavie had demonstrated indifferent form at Pebble Beach before he finished second last year - his previous best effort in seven attempts had been 26th and he missed the cut on four occasions.

However, his game looks to be in excellent shape as he moved back into the world's top 50 with his fourth place at the Phoenix Open when he recovered well from a disappointing opening round of 71.

The 64 he hit on Saturday equalled the best round of the week and his effort came three weeks after he tied for third place at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Some golfers perform better at certain times of the year and the man from Wichita will be hoping for good omens as his runner-up spot in last year's tournament was preceded by another strong performance at Scottsdale when he fell to Gary Woodland in a playoff.

Reavie doesn't top 300 yards with his driver on a consistent basis but that may not matter a great deal this week on courses that are on the shorter side so as to not intimidate the amateurs too much.

He is ranked seventh in driving accuracy and in shots-gained tee to green, so his game is plainly heading in the right direction and nearly 11 years since his sole PGA Tour success at the Canadian Open, another triumph may not be far away.

Next best bet

Paul Casey 33-1
Paul Casey's political conscience meant he passed up the opportunity to play in the Saudi International last week and he should have benefited from the break having finished second at the Singapore Open in his previous outing.

The solid ball-striker should enjoy this week's challenge and while he missed the cut in his first full-field tournament of 2019 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the Valspar Championship winner finished in the top 20 in each of his previous five tournaments.

That sort of consistency points to a decent effort in a competition where he finished eighth last year upon his first visit to the tournament since 2002.

A driving accuracy figure of 71.9 per cent should also not be sniffed at.

Other selections

Branden Grace 35-1
Sungjae Im 66-1
Brandon Grace rewarded each-way punters at a three-figure price in the Phoenix Open, when he finished two shots off the pace as Rickie Fowler's closest challenger, and it would be no surprise if the South African puts up another bold show.

Grace tied for 20th on his first visit to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am last year and there was little not to like about his effort at Scottsdale where he putted well, was ranked 13th in greens in regulation, sixth in strokes gained tee-to-green and also slammed in a hole in one.

His only success on the US Tour was at the 2016 RBC Heritage but if he maintains the levels the consistent performer demonstrated in Arizona last week then it may not be too long before he adds another trophy to his mantelpiece.

Sungjae Im won twice and posted three second-placed finishes on the Web.com tour last year and he is showing no inhibitions since stepping up in class to take on the game's big guns.

The 20-year-old South Korean trousered a sizeable cheque by claiming a tie for seventh at Scottsdale last week and will have been delighted to finish 16th at the Sony Open and 12th at the Desert Classic.

The game could have another potential star on its hands and if he can take this tournament's unusual format in his stride, he could be in for another big week.

Players to watch

Dustin Johnson
Johnson loves playing in this tournament and his performance in Saudi Arabia means he is rightly installed as favourite. A bold show seems almost inevitable.

Jason Day
The Australian has great course form and his fourth at the Farmers points to another good season. It would be no surprise if he triumphed.

Brandt Snedeker
Nashville's finest revels on poa annua greens and has won this tournament twice. However, he has claimed just one top-20 finish in his last eight outings.

Phil Mickelson
The four-time champion will be the darling of the galleries this week and he rolled back the years with an opening round of 60 at the Desert Classic a fortnight ago. However, he couldn't get the job done and has to bounce back from missing the cut at Scottsdale.

Nick Watney
It is a long time since Watney was in the world's top ten but he has missed the cut in just one of his last nine events and has made the final round in 11 of his 14 visits, including a second place in 2015.

Staking plan

C Reavie
2pts each-way 33-1 Betfred
P Casey
2pts each-way 33-1 Betfair, BoyleSports, Coral
B Grace
1pt each-way 35-1 Betfair
S Im
1pt each-way 66-1 Ladbrokes

Pebble Beach Pro-AM lowdown

Course Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula Country Club,
Spyglass Hill Golf Club, Pebble Beach, California
Prize money $7.6m ($1.368m to the winner)

Length Pebble Beach 6,816 yards, Monterey Peninsula 6,958 yards,
Spyglass Hill 6,953 yards
Par Pebble and Spyglass both 72, Monterey 71
Field 156

Course records - 72 holes 267 Brandt Snedeker (2013) 18 holes
Pebble 62 Tom Kite (1983), David Duval (1997) Monterey 60 Sung
Kang (2016) Spyglass 62 Phil Mickelson (2005), Luke Donald (2006)

Course winners taking part Phil Mickelson (four times), Davis Love (twice), Dustin Johnson (twice), DA Points, Brandt Snedeker (twice), Jimmy Walker, Vaughn Taylor, Jordan Spieth, Ted Potter, Graeme McDowell (2010 US Open)

When to bet By 5pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 8pm Thursday

Time difference California is eight hours behind the UK & Ireland

Last week - Phoenix Open 1 R Fowler 20-1, 2 B Grace 100-1, 3 J Thomas 10-1, 4 C Reavie 50-1, B Watson 45-1, M Kuchar 28-1

Course overview This pro-am is always played over three different
courses, with 36 holes of competition at the Pebble Beach Links and
18 apiece on the other two.

The set-up is considerably harder for Majors than the pro-am, where scoring averages at Pebble Beach and Monterey are usually slightly under par.

There will be extra interest in the set-up this year as Pebble Beach will host June's US Open, nine years after Graeme McDowell claimed his Major success there.

Spyglass is the most difficult of the venues, nearly always averaging over par, so a good round there could give a competitor a significant advantage. Every professional is partnered with an amateur.

The story of last year Ted Potter closed his final round with 11 successive pars to beat Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Phil Mickelson and Chez Reavie by three shots.

Weather forecast The pre-tournament weather has been miserable and Friday could also be particularly wet. Hopes are high for a dry Thursday, but rain is likely on the other three days with unseasonal cool temperatures. Winds will be significant too.

Type of player suited to the challenge Big hitters, accurate sorts and short-game specialists have all triumphed in the last decade or so, but the key is to take the birdie opportunities when they arrive on
courses that are set up not to intimidate the amateurs and celebrities who share the limelight. The poor weather may help bigger hitters but you still have to hit the right spots.

Key attribute Accuracy

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