Week 6 Approach Shots: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

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With last year's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am reduced to 54 holes due to heavy rains, the big question this year of course is: What's the forecast?

Other than a chance for scattered showers Friday due to a cold front, the weather should be dry for the rest of the tournament, particularly on the weekend, as a high pressure system should produce partly cloudy skies but no precipitation.

That's good news for all concerned -- the pro golfers and the amateurs, as Pebble Beach will again provide fans with a combination of great golf and celebrity sightings among its rotation of three courses, which this year includes the Monterey Peninsula Shore course for the first time since 1977.

Among the celebrities in the event: Bill Murray, George Lopez, Greg Kinnear, Kenny G, Clay Walker, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Hudson, Huey Lewis, Vince Gill, Chris Berman, Michael Bolton, Brandi Chastain, Josh Duhamel and Ray Romano. (click for celebrity list)

As for the golf, Dustin Johnson hopes to defend his crown. His third-round 67 took him from a two-shot deficit through 36 holes to a four-stroke advantage after the third round. When rain continued in the area Monday, tournament officials canceled the final round, with Johnson picking up his second PGA TOUR title to go with his 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship win.

In 2010, Johnson has made three of four cuts, with his best finish coming last week at the Northern Trust Open, where he tied for third.

Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia is making his 2010 debut this week and all eyes will be on his injured hand although he played well in the Middle East recently. Garcia has not played in the tournament since 2001 and will be making only his third career start at the AT&T.

Teenage sensation Ryo Ishikawa will be making his first start ever at Pebble Beach. The 18-year old won four times on the Japanese Tour last year and led the Order of Merit. He also performed well at The Presidents Cup just up the road in San Francisco.

Columnists' predictions

Each week, PGATOUR.COM columnists will predict the winner. Here are their picks for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Columnist Pick Comment Craig Dolch DUSTIN JOHNSON: Dustin Johnson could have easily won last week at Riviera, so expect him to make a strong defense of his title this week at Pebble Beach. Stan Awtrey DAVIS LOVE III: He, well, loves Pebble Beach and has the experience it takes to win there -- again. What better way to automatically qualify for the Masters? John Maginnes DUSTIN JOHNSON: As much as I would love to say that Phil is ready to break out and win once again, I am going with the defending champion.Johnson is the most underrated player of his age group.Look for him to defend well at Pebble Beach after a great showing at Riviera. Melanie Hauser MIKE WEIR: The smart pick is Phil Mickelson. The hot pick is Luke Donald. So ... f course, I'm going with Weir, a guy who loves this course, plays it well and is comfy with the amateurs.

Bolton's Yahoo! selections

Fantasy columnist Rob Bolton will provide his Yahoo! picks as a starting point for you every week. Use the advice and opinion from his Power Rankings and Fantasy Insider to assist in determining lineups changes throughout each tournament. NOTE TO READERS: With multiple courses in play, Bolton has given the course for Round 1 for all eight. Group Starters Bench Group A Steve Marino (MP) Luke Donald (PB) Group B Dustin Johnson (PB), Kevin NA (PB) Retief Goosen (SP), J.B. Holmes (PB) Group C Mike Weir (PB) Brandt Snedeker (SP)

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AT&T'S 25TH YEAR: This year marks the 25th anniversary of AT&T's sponsorship of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. That makes AT&T the second longest running sponsor on the PGA TOUR (Honda began sponsorship of a TOUR event in 1982). Over the last 25 years of the tournament, the Monterrey Peninsula Foundation and AT&T have distributed more than $66 million to hundreds of local organizations. In 2009 alone, the tournament generated nearly $6 million for local charities. Thanks to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, AT&T has helped jumpstart programs such as The First Tee of Monterey County and Birdies for Charity.

Fans attending the tournament are invited to stop by the AT&T Digital Clubhouse to participate in the "Longest Drive" contest, enjoy the action from two outdoor patio decks and experience a variety of AT&T products and services. At the AT&T Experience tent located on the 18th hole, guests can use YELLOWPAGES.COM to search for anything they need locally around the Monterey Peninsula -- from the nearest place to get private golf lessons, to the best user-reviewed pizza joint. And, at the Grand Entrance, fans can participate in golf-related games and trivia at the AT&T Fan Zone Tour Truck, and rent one of AT&T's wireless caddie devices, a BlackBerry® Bold"! 9000 handset, to follow the tournament action.

Did you know?

This will be the fifth time Pebble Beach has hosted the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the U.S. Open in the same year (1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010).

Kodak Challenge

This week's Kodak Challenge hole is the par-5 18th hole at Pebble Beach. A 543-yard hole, it should provide plenty of birdie (and maybe the odd eagle) opportunities. Kevin Streelman won the first Kodak Challenge in 2009 and is in the field this week. More on Kodak Challenge

What the winner gets

A win this week at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am will earn the following benefits: • Fully exempt for the remainder of 2010 and all of 2011 and 2012 • 500 FedExCup points. It took 354 points to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in 2009 and 494 to reach the Deutsche Bank Championship. • A spot in the following events in order of play: 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2010 Masters, 2010 PLAYERS Championship, 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, 2010 Memorial, 2010 AT&T National, 2010 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (in all likelihood) and 2010 PGA Championship • A spot in the 2011 SBS Championship • For a U.S. player, 1,116,000 points towards making the 2011 Presidents Cup team. • If it is a second victory for a player since last June 4, a spot in the U.S. Open