2010 Recap
Dustin Johnson insisted all week that his rain-shorted victory in the previous year’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am did not leave him with anything to prove. But the tall, 25-year-old with the towering tee shots provided enough proof to go around, anyway.
Opening with an 8-under-par 64 to leading from the start, Johnson finished with a birdie on the final hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links to become only the sixth player in tournament history to win back-to-back titles (the first in 20 years, since Mark O’Meara in 1989-1990).
“It’s hard to say one win is better than the other,” said Johnson, who came into the Sunday round tied with veteran Paul Goydos, both at 196, 18 under par, which equaled the tournament record for 54 holes. “They both mean the same to me.”
One thing that was not the same was the course rotation, with the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club joining Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach for the first time since 1977. MPCC was an immediate hit with the tour pros, whose reaction may have been summed up best by Phil Mickelson, who said, “It’s one of my favorites now on Tour. The playability of it is terrific. It is a great addition to this tournament.”
Another difference from 2009 was the size of field and pace of play. The number of pro-am teams was reduced from 180 to 156, which allowed rounds to be completed more than 30 minutes faster, in some cases, than in previous years – another significant factor.
One thing that remained the same: the wet conditions. For the first three rounds, players were allowed to lift, clean and place the golf ball at all three courses, a result of repeated rainstorms that hung around through Tuesday morning. Sunday, the rules returned to normal at Pebble Beach.
“This course is all weather-dependent,” Johnson said of Pebble Beach, where his career start is the best in history – 7th, 1st and 1st in his first three appearances, earning $2.4 million in the process. “Sunday the wind switched and playing the ball down, I had a few mud balls. Sometimes they go straight and sometimes they go off the world.”
Goydos’ name went off the leaderboard at the par-5 14th hole Sunday, when he posted a quadruple-bogey 9 – in the group behind Bryce Molder, who also made a 9 there. “It wasn’t like I didn’t try on all nine shots,” quipped Goydos, whose greenside chipping proved disastrous. “Just everything I did on that hole didn’t work out.”
Johnson made par on the 14th and, despite closing with a 2-over-par 74, held up under the pressure of the final round when it counted most.
Following a bogey on the par-3 17th hole, he fell into a tied for the lead when J.B. Holmes birdied the 18th in the group ahead. Johnson, who did not have to face any fourth-round challenges 2009, crushed a perfect drive 288 yards down the middle of the 18th fairway, tactically played a 3-iron draw 225 yards into the front greenside bunker, softly flopped his third shot inside four feet and sank the putt for a one-stroke victory.
“Obviously, Sunday there is a little more nerves going on and a little more excitement,” Johnson said of his emotions down the stretch. “That always plays into account. I was comfortable... nervous, but nervous in a good way.”
Holmes, with a closing 71, tied for second with veteran David Duval, the sentimental favorite whose 69 included six birdies.
The celebrity field included old friends like actor Bill Murray and quarterback Tom Brady, as well as new faces that included actors Oliver Hudson and Rob Morrow and quarterback Tony Romo.
In the pro-am team competition, Goydos – who earlier in the week received the Jack Lemmon Ambassador of Golf Award from the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association – did something Lemmon never could: win the pro-am. Goydos and partner Robert Stuart, a Hertz executive from Cleveland with an 18 handicap, teamed for a 249 total, 37 under par, and a four-shot cushion.
Actor Josh Duhamel, a 12 handicapper, helped his pro, Sergio Garcia, by 30 strokes to win the tournament’s Jack Lemmon award, for the amateur who helps the most. The team tied for second, 33 under par.
LEADERS: First Round – (-8) Dustin Johnson 64 at PB, (- 7) J.B Holmes 65 at PB, K.J. Choi 65 at PB, (-6) Charley Hoffman 64 at MPCC. Second Round – (-10) Alex Cjeka 67 at SH, Bryce Molder 65 at MPCC, Dustin Johnson 68 at MPCC, Paul Goydos 65 at SH, J.B. Holmes 67 at MPCC, Matt Jones 67 at PB, (-9) David Duval 68 at PB. Third Round – (-18) Dustin Johnson 64 at SH, Paul Goydos 64 at PB, (-14) J.B. Holmes at 68 SH, Bryce Molder 68 at SH, Matt Jones 66 at MPCC.
CUT: 69 pros made the cut at 210, 4-under-par. The pro-am team cut was 194, with the limit of 25 teams advancing. Two teams were eliminated through the tiebreaker.
WEATHER: Thursday – Partly cloudy, temperature reaching the high 50s, mild breezes. Friday – Partly cloudy, temperature reaching the low 60s, mild breezes. Saturday – Mostly sunny, temperatures in the 60s, mild breezes. Sunday – Sunny, temperatures in the mid-50s, with moderate breezes.
