"I think I saved a stroke": Jordan Spieth on his 'deadly' shot at Pebble Beach last year
Jordan Spieth will be playing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am starting on Thursday. Last year he finished in a tie for third after losing his 54-hole lead on the final day.
However, one major highlight of Spieth's performance last year was his one shot on the eighth hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Links, which fans would not hope for him to repeat this year.
During last year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Jordan Spieth hit a shot on the famous par 4 third round that landed in the penalty area but narrowly avoided going over the edge of a 70-foot drop onto the rocks. Despite caddie Michael Greller's cautionary advice, Spieth chose to play the shot by almost risking his life and hit a 7-iron from 162 yards.
Prior to this year's event, Spieth reflected on his previous year's "stunt."
"I think I saved a stroke," Spieth said. "Does the reward outweigh the risk? Not if you think the risk was dying. I'm glad I ended up making a 4 because if I made a 5, it would have been one of the worst decisions I ever made. Instead, it was just a bad decision."
As a result of that shot, the resort had to take a few steps to prevent players from repeating Spieth's stunt by moving the red line further away from the edge, increasing the rough between the fairway and the bluff, and adding warning signs.
Spieth played the hole on Monday during a practice round. He also stated that he wouldn't repeat the shot.
“I think now knowing my son a lot better, I may not have hit that shot.”
His son Sammy was just three months old at the time.
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am field
Despite several top-ranked players skipping the tournament, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am still has some of the star power. Seven of the top 50 golfers in OWGR will participate in this year's Pro-Am.
World No. 10 Matt Fitzpatrick is the highest-ranked professional in the tournament. World No. 11 Viktor Hovland, who won the 2018 US Amateur at Pebble Beach, will also feature in the event.
Having been a longtime ambassador for AT&T, Jordan Spieth has played here every year for the past 10 seasons on the Tour, making it one of only four events he has participated in every year. He came close to winning it again last year but failed to retain his 54-hole lead on the final day.
Spieth, who won AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2017, said that he wishes for the event to become a designated tournament in the future, recognizing that it's not within his control. He said he would love to see the event become a must-watch television event someday.
The notable amateur participants include professional athletes Alex Smith, Buster Posey, Gareth Bale, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald, and Steve Young.
Celebrities like Bret Baier, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Pena, Bill Murray, Eric Church, Lukas Nelson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Ray Romano, Darius Rucker, Nate Bargatze, and Schoolboy Q will also feature in this year's Pro-Am.