Welcome to the Signature Scroll, the PGA TOUR’s newest newsletter offering. We’ll be providing elevated on-site coverage of the top events of the year (Signature Events, THE PLAYERS Championship and majors) delivered directly to your inbox, Thursday through Monday. The hope is that it will keep you informed and entertained during the biggest moments on the pro golf calendar. We begin with one of the crown jewels on the TOUR schedule: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Let’s get rolling …

The magic of Pebble Beach

My expectation was to walk upon an empty, serene setting. The seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links is far from a secret, but in this context, I thought I might have a rare opportunity to see the most famous golf hole this side of the Mississippi, like few do … untouched. It was Wednesday afternoon in the thick of a wind squall and heavy rain, which was the basis of my hypothesis. Most of the field was gone by now, confined to the driving range for much of the day. It had to be a ghost town, right?

As I crested the hill on the par-5 sixth and passed the green, I was startled to see I wasn’t the only sopping wet golf sicko that had ventured out in the worst of it. I spotted a pro-am participant and his caddie taking swings on the seventh tee box, gleeful as they watched their shots flail in the wind and come up short of the green down below. I took a photo for them and wished them luck, then found a nearby marshal who said he watched Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland and Jake Knapp come through the seventh just earlier, in the thick of the conditions, sporting similar smiles. Then I thought about a quote from Chris Gotterup from his press conference earlier in the day.

It’s the magic of Pebble Beach, one of the lone settings in the PGA TOUR orbit that annually has players giddy. One that channels all the reasons that these pro golfers dreamed of this life. Not for the money or fame, but the joy that the sport brings. In that same press conference, Gotterup told the story of the first time he played Pebble Beach. His dad promised he would take him when Gotterup shot under par for the first time. He estimates he was about 13 or 14 years old. He doesn’t remember what he shot, though he can quickly recall how he felt when he hit the fairway at the final hole and the reaction when his brother lipped out a putt on the 18th green and fell to his knees. On Tuesday, multiple videos went viral of players battling the Pebble Beach conditions. Akshay Bhatia hit a mini driver off the seventh, which measures 106 yards on a calm day but was playing back into a gale-force wind. In similar conditions, Emiliano Grillo flopped a shot just off the seventh green and watched the wind carry it back over his head and roll onto the putting surface.

It’s a reminder of what makes this tournament special. The top players in the world are taking on one of the most iconic venues in the game with the energy of their 14-year-old selves. And with the connective tissue of the thousands watching who know the course like the back of their hand, even if they’ve never been lucky enough to play it. That relationship is rare in sport, but it’s here at Pebble Beach in spades. It will provide the foundation for another great week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Catching up

• After a brief dalliance with cavity-back irons, Rory McIlroy is back in his trusty blades this week: “That experiment's over.” My colleague Alistair Cameron detailed the switch.
• Speaking of McIlroy, this is the first year the Northern Irishman doesn’t have a major looming topic over his head. You can probably guess. So, I pondered … What’s next for McIlroy?
• What’s going on with Collin Morikawa’s putting? Which version of Xander Schauffle can we expect in 2026? I tackled five big questions for some of the game’s top stars.
• Who do the experts have this week? Surprisingly, nobody took Scottie Scheffler. So who is winning this thing?

Risers and fallers

Riser: Sahith Theegala

• He called 2025 a “lost year,” struggling with injury for much of it. He’s healthy and thriving early in the new year. He’s 12th in the FedExCup and made all four of his cuts. He’s finished in the top 10 in half of them.

Riser: Ryan Gerard

• If you’re coming out of a football coma, keep an eye on Gerard. He began the year with back-to-back runners-up and added another top 15 in Phoenix. Can he maintain that form in his first Signature Event? That’s the next tell if we have a breakout star on our hands.

Faller: Ludvig Åberg

• The Swede had to withdraw with an illness after a solid start in La Quinta last month, then missed the cut at Torrey Pines the next week, the site of his last win. A pivotal year for Åberg has not started well.

Faller: Collin Morikawa

• Poor putting has stifled Morikawa’s start, and a search for the right flatstick has been ongoing for the 29-year-old. He missed the cut in Hawaii and had a ho-hum week in Phoenix. He started 2025 incredibly well, but has yet to replicate it this year.

Teed up

Let's take a look at some intriguing pairings for the first two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am …

• Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth (12:11 p.m. ET): Two major champions that are in a bit of a lull right now. Can either climb out?
• Rory McIlroy, Ryan Fox (12:24 p.m. ET at Spyglass Hill): McIlroy begins his 2026 season at Spyglass Hill. That’s how he started last year, making a hole-in-one en route to a 66 that began a dominant week.
• Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama (1:29 p.m. ET): Wanna watch two savants on approach and around the green? Doesn’t get much better.

That's it for the first Signature Scroll. Thanks for reading. We'll talk tomorrow.

- Paul