Winners and Losers from the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
If you were hoping Jim Furyk would end his heartbreaking run of near-victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, sorry to disappoint.
The Pennsylvania native entered the final round leading by one but didn't get the job done.
Instead, it was Brandt Snedeker returning to the winner's circle for the first time since the 2013 RBC Canadian Open. How good was Sneds? He made just one bogey this week and set the tournament scoring record.
What men (and a beast) joined Snedeker as winners this week?
Keep reading to find out.
Winner: Brandt Snedeker
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For the second time in three years, Brandt Snedeker is a winner at Pebble Beach. Even better, he finished at 22 under par (265), which bettered his own 72-hole tournament scoring record from 2013.
Thus, Snedeker is a big winner this week, and he's an even bigger winner in light of the lackluster 2013-14 season that saw him part ways with instructor Todd Anderson and join Butch Harmon's stable.
After opening the week with an eight-under 64 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club (the easiest of the three courses participants play), Snedeker fired three consecutive rounds of 67 to cruise to a three-stroke victory.
After the win, the champ said, per Golf Digest's John Strege:
"You realize how tough it is to move up in the World Golf Ranking without winning and being competitive. I haven't been competitive in a while. I've been doing the right stuff and I've been telling people this for awhile. Until you do it, nobody really believes you. But it's been coming for awhile and now it's nice.
"
Losers: Those Who Don't Like the Celebrity Aspect of the Pro-Am
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With the demise of the Bob Hope tournament, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is the only pro-am tournament left on the PGA Tour calendar.
The tournament's unique aspect leads to a different type of golf coverage: one that is more focused on analyzing celebrity's swings and interviews with the stars of screen and sitcom than showing the "pro" portion of the tournament...at least up until Sunday's final round.
And judging from the conversation in the Twittersphere, many golf fans didn't appreciate the coverage, particularly on moving day.
Just read the replies to CBS' Ian Baker Finch's tweet about viewers "enjoying the coverage."
"Golf fanalysts" No Laying Up tweeted: "The Saturday broadcast at Pebble is the worst thing CBS puts on all year. And have you seen Two Broke Girls?"
Winner: John Daly
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Sure, John Daly missed the cut, thanks to a third-round 73.
It was his first-round 65, however, that makes him a winner this week.
As Adam Silverstein of CBSSports.com wrote: "Going bogey-less with seven birdies on the round and a 32 on the front nine, Daly played as tremendous as he looked" in his technicolor pants.
How does one round make golf's favorite aging (former) party boy a winner this week?
Because for one round of the tournament, at least, we were talking about John Daly the golfer (you know, the guy who won two majors), rather than the loudmouth, pants-wearing sideshow attraction that he more often appears as in print ads.
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Loser: Jim 'Sunday' Furyk
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It's a trope, and it's a sad one: Jim Furyk can't get the job done on Sunday.
Furyk entered the final round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am leading by one. He ended the tournament in a tie for seventh, thanks to a final-round 74. Furyk was one of two players who finished in the top 10 who carded over-par rounds. He needed a 67, and he posted a 74 as his putter failed him down the stretch.
On the eve of the final round, Yahoo Sports' Ryan Ballengee wrote: "For Furyk, Sunday will mark the 24th time in his PGA Tour career that he's carried the lead into the final round of a tournament. However, Furyk has been unable to convert those last eight opportunities into wins."
Thanks to four bogeys and just two birdies on an excruciating Sunday, we can make those numbers 25 and nine.
Winner: Bill Murray's Pants
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Bill Murray in general, and his choice of trousers in particular, were winners this week.
While the "Bill Murray at Pebble" show isn't for everyone, it's always interesting.
This year, he outdid even John Daly with his pants game.
Well-played, Murray.
Loser: Every Celebrity Who Had His Swing Analyzed
6 of 8Few people like seeing themselves on camera. Fewer still, like (or should like, at least) having their golf swings recorded on slow-motion cameras and played for a national television audience.
However, that's exactly what a handful of celebrity participants in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am faced this weekend.
Check out Larry the Cable Guy getting the Konica Minolta Swing Vision treatment above.
No matter how bad you think your swing is, it always looks worse on video, doesn't it?
Winner: This Dog
7 of 8An emerging viral sensation, the dog in the video above was having the time of his life at Pebble Beach when he made his way onto the telecast.
Ears pinned back, flapping in the Carmel Bay breeze, full dog smile, tongue wagging, paws pumping furiously, propelling him through the wet sand: This dog stole the show.
What can you really say about this unbridled instance of canine joy? We should all be so happy.
Loser: Craig T. Nelson
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Parenthood star Craig T. Nelson was supposed to be paired with Fred Funk, a Champions Tour golfer, who still plays good golf. Instead, when Funk dropped out at the last minute, he was replaced by Len Mattiace of Masters meltdown fame.
Mattiace made just six of 18 cuts on the Web.com Tour last year. Funk, for his part, made 25 of 25 cuts on the Champions Tour last season and won once.
In other words, Nelson got stuck with an inferior partner.
It showed. Mattiace didn't exactly pull his weight, shooting 77, 73 and 74 on his own ball. The pair carded a best ball total of 215 for three rounds of play, last in the field and 24 strokes outside of the cut line.
Stats via PGATour.com and the PGA Tour Media Guide.
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