Feb. 14, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff
The first group will soon tee off in today's third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Here's how it sets up:
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| Groups We're Watching |
11:30 am ET
(8:30 am local) |
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Retief Goosen, Tom Pernice Jr. (Spyglass, No. 10)
After a stunning 64 on Friday, Goosen carries a two-shot edge into Spyglass Hill, which is certain to play tough on Saturday. |
11:20 am ET
(8:20 am local) |
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Dustin Johnson, D.J. Trahan (Poppy Hills, No. 1)
It'll be interesting to see how Johnson, a big hitter, handles the tree-lined layout at Poppy Hills. He handled Spyglass just fine on Friday. |
Noon ET
(9:00 am local) |
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Mike Weir, Dean Wilson (Spyglass, No. 10)
Weir has never won this event, but he's only four shots back heading into the critical weekend. In 36 holes, Weir only had one bogey. |
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Bob Stevens looks ahead to Saturday's third round:
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| Saturday's forecast |
Partly cloudy
Temp: 55 high/47 low
Mostly cloudy with morning showers. Winds from the south at 12 mph. |
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Who's Really Leading the Tournament? The scoreboard says Retief Goosen, but it might be Robert Garrigus, depending on Saturday's weather. Pebble Beach is considered by most pros I've talked to as the easiest course of the three in the AT&T Pebble Beach rotation, if the weather's good. But it might be the toughest if things get nasty. Goosen had easily the best score at Pebble on Friday (64) just as Dustin Johnson (65) did on Thursday, which is why they're atop the leaderboard. Garrigus gets his shot today, which could be good news if the weather defies the forecast again and stays dry through the day. But if it's stormy, as it is also supposed to be on Sunday, look out. He might be facing Pebble Beast instead.
Patience, Patience. The foursome featuring pros Brent Geiberger and Billy Andrade had the first tee time at Pebble Beach on Friday and, despite having nobody ahead of them for their front nine, took just under six hours to finish their round. Saturday is the "big" celebrity day at Pebble, so I imagine the rounds will take even longer. Some players will thrive in an atmosphere that makes them slow down, but many will get frustrated, and scores could skyrocket.
Who Can Still Win? A lot of players are still in the hunt, including last year's winner, Steve Lowery. In 2008, he was three shots back after the first round, the second round and even after 54 holes, though he was actually getting closer all the time. Lowery had 14 players ahead of him after round one, 11 after round two but only 4 headed into Sunday. Keeping the leader within sight, particularly at a tournament like this with three different courses involved, is more important than how far you're behind.
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| The Film Room |
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PGA TOUR Today
Win McMurry updates action from the second round of the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and previews what to watch for in the third round. Watch it |
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Shot of the day
J.B. Holmes nearly aces the famed 17th hole with a 5-iron in the second round. Watch it |
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The overnight leader
Retief Goosen talks about his 64 to Mark Carnevale of the PGA TOUR Network. Watch it |
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| Stat of the day |
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| This is the first time Retief Goosen has played the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Brett Ogle (1993) is the only player since 1952 to win this event in his first trip to Pebble Beach. |
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