A bevy of long shots have emerged victorious to kick off the 2024 PGA Tour season, but the big names will have something to say about that this week at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. One of the strongest fields in tournament history, the 80 men who descend on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course are among the best and brightest in the game.
The star-studded group is led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who will be making his tournament debut. Adding the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to his schedule now that it carries signature status, the top-ranked player in the game hopes to enter the winner's circle on the PGA Tour for the first time since last March. Scheffler's putter continues to be uncooperative and could give way for Rory McIlroy to claim the world No. 1 title with a win of his own.
Fresh off yet another terrific Dubai swing on the DP World Tour, McIlroy looks ready as ever to begin his PGA Tour season. Successfully defending his Dubai Desert Classic title in his last start, the Northern Irishman tees it up at Pebble Beach for only the fourth time in his career with his best finish coming in the form of a T9 at the 2019 U.S. Open.
California's very own Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa and Max Homa all hope their home state proves kind to them. Meanwhile, long-time AT&T Pebble Pro-Am participant Jordan Spieth looks for additional success on the West Coast after a nice start to his season in Hawaii.
Making his 12th career appearance in this tournement, Spieth looks to add to a résumé that already includes a victory in 2017 and five other top 10s, including a runner-up result in 2022. He is joined by his good friend, Justin Thomas, who qualified via his Official World Golf Ranking, as well as Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Tony Finau and Matt Fitzpatrick, all of whom will battle for an elevated 700 FedEx Cup points and $3.6 million first-place prize.
2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am schedule
Dates: Feb. 1-4 | Location: Pebble Beach Golf Links — Pebble Beach, California
Par: 72 | Yardage: 6,972 | Purse: $20,000,000
2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am field, odds
- Rory McIlroy (15/2): The world No. 2 begins his PGA Tour campaign in an unorthodox spot due to the reshuffling of signature events. It should be no problem for McIlroy given his current run of form; he has lost to just one golfer -- Tommy Fleetwood -- in his last two worldwide starts. In the last six months, the 34-year-old ranks behind only Hovland in terms of total strokes gained and will now chart his course to Augusta National in April. Already announcing his commitment to the Cognizant Classic and Texas Open, McIlroy's appearance at Pebble Beach is just the beginning of what will be a very busy run to the first major.
- Scottie Scheffler (8-1): The putting problems persist the Texan despite some added work with coach Phil Kenyon. Scheffler appeared to have figured out his blade in his victory at the Hero World Challenge, but he has continued to struggle on the greens in his first eight rounds of the PGA Tour season. Over the last six months, he ranks first in strokes gained tee to green, first in strokes gained off the tee and 122nd in strokes gained putting.
- Viktor Hovland (12-1)
- Xander Schauffele (12-1)
- Jordan Spieth (18-1): The unofficial prince of Pebble Beach is no longer the sole headliner as he is joined by a star-studded cast of characters this time around. Spieth has been dominant at Pebble Beach throughout his career, and another quality start should be in the works after his podium finish at The Sentry. He ranks third in total strokes gained among those in this field who have played at least 10 rounds at Pebble Beach.
- Max Homa (18-1)
- Patrick Cantlay (20-1): Cantlay tops the charts when it comes to total strokes gained at Pebble Beach at +1.61 per round. It's not hard to see how when looking at his history that includes a 100% made cut percentage and finishes of T3 and T4 in his last two appearances. Despite his comfort level around this area, Cantlay has shown some uncharacteristic volatility in the beginning of 2024. After a nice T12 at The Sentry, he has fallen flat with both his irons and putter, leading to a pair of finishes outside the top 50 in the first two California events.
- Collin Morikawa (22-1)
- Justin Thomas (25-1): The 15-time winner did enough to secure his place inside the top 30 in the world with his runner-up finish at The American Express. Forgoing the Farmers Insurance Open, Thomas will have plenty of energy to extend his top-five streak -- currently at four tournaments -- dating back to last fall. During this time, Thomas has improved with his irons, but it has actually been a massive step with the putter that has buoyed his play. He's missed the cut in both tries at Pebble Beach, but it is clear is running with wind at his back.
- Ludvig Åberg (28-1)
2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am expert picks
| Winner (12-1): The history may not be extensive, but it is sound. Claiming his U.S. Amateur title at Pebble Beach, Hovland then went on to claim low Amateur honors at the 2019 U.S. Open with his T12 finish and a T13 in his latest AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am appearance. It has been a somewhat quiet winter for the Norwegian, but he should awake from his slumber sooner rather than later. He ranks first in total strokes gained, fifth in strokes gained tee to green and 11th in strokes gained putting over the last six months. | |
| Contender (22-1): Morikawa was a surprising early exit from the Farmers Insurance Open, but Pebble Beach should be a perfect landing spot for the two-time major champion. Making his tournament debut, Morikawa's strengths of accurate driving and precise wedge play will be on full display given the small putting surfaces at Pebble Beach and Spyglass. Over the last year, he ranks first in strokes gained per shot on approaches from 50 to 100 yards and sixth from 100 to 150 yards. | |
| Sleeper (120-1): The Canadian has had his fair share of success around Pebble Beach, claiming the title over Phil Mickelson in 2020. In addition to his victory, Taylor has three other top-20 finishes, including two in the last two years. He arrives off a quality T7 result at the Sony Open where he struck his irons beautifully. The Canadian Open winner ranks 11th in strokes gained approach and 27th in strokes gained putting over the last three months. | |
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