How does AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am work? The celeb tournament’s format explained
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am starts on February 2 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.
Unlike the regular PGA events, the Pro-Am features professionals and amateurs in the tournament. Top professional golfers play alongside non-golfers like Bill Murray, Nate Bargatze, and other personalities from various fields. Recently retired football star Gareth Bale also announced that he would be featuring in this year's Pro-Am tournament.
The format of the AT&T Pro-Am is slightly different from the regular Tour events. During the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, there are two concurrent tournaments: one for 156 professional golfers and another for teams composed of one pro and one for 156 amateur players.
During the tournament, each professional golfer competes against the others over 72 holes while also playing with an amateur partner. The best combined score of the professional and amateur players determines the team score for each hole.
The amateur's score on each hole is adjusted based on their handicap. If an amateur scores par on a challenging hole, their score may be adjusted to a birdie (one under par) depending on their handicap.
While in other PGA Tour events, a cut is made after 36 holes, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am's cut is made after 54 holes. The remaining professional golfers and 25 top-scoring teams will advance to play the final round at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Purse
The total purse of the AT&T Pro-Am is $9 million in size, with the professional winner getting a share of $1.62 million. The Amateur winner gets the winner's trophy.
History
The Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament first happened in 1937 when avid golfer Bing Crosby established it. It started as a chance for local amateur golfers with low scores to play alongside professional golfers. The tournament was expanded to a four-day 72-hole format in 1958, which is standard for PGA Tour events.
Field for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2023
The 156-player field of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will feature several names on the PGA Tour, with players like Jordan Spieth, Tom Hoge, and Matt Fitzpatrick teeing up. Seven of the top 50 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings, including some past champions, will participate in the Pro-Am.
Celebrities participating this time include the likes of Bret Baier, Jason Bateman, Eric Church, Lukas Nelson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Will Arnett, Michael Pena, Bill Murray, Ray Romano, Darius Rucker, Nate Bargatze, and Schoolboy Q. The notable amateur participants include professional athletes Gareth Bale, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald, Alex Smith, Buster Posey, and Steve Young.
The 2023 Pebble Beach Pro-Am will take place from January 30 to February 5, including days of practice rounds. The tournament begins on February 2 at 8:30 a.m. and ends on February 5 in the afternoon, following the standard Thursday-to-Sunday schedule of the PGA Tour.
The Golf Channel will broadcast live from 12 to 3 p.m. Pacific on February 2-3 and from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on February 4-5. CBS will take over coverage on February 4-5 at 12 p.m.