OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
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WINTER 2019
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obsports.com
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TOUR REPORT
ing, but few have the elevations and
textures – the curving coastline, the
cliff-top setting, the interplay of sun
and fog – that Pebble Beach enjoys. No
more thrilling, spectacular stretch of
holes exists anywhere than holes 5
through 10, and the two closing holes
along the Pacific are without peer.
It's also without peer as a tourna-
ment track. Jack Nicklaus, who won the
1972 U.S. Open here, told me a few
years back, "Aside from aesthetics, Peb-
ble Beach is a great test of golf. It's a
wonderful thinking-man's golf course.
That's why it's such a great U.S. Open
course. It forces you to use your head
and tests your composure. You must
keep your emotions in check or Pebble
Beach will beat you."
The Cast: Tiger Woods won the 2000
U.S. Open at Pebble, but he's not the
only superstar to take it to the house
there. Phil Mickelson has captured four
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am titles on
the PGA Tour. Dustin Johnson hoisted
the AT&T trophy in 2009 and 2010 and
led the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble by
three shots with one round to play be-
fore faltering. Major-less Brandt
Snedeker snagged AT&T titles in 2013
and 2015 and Jordan Spieth won in
2017.
The Skinny: All pre-tourney talk re-
volves around Brooks Koepka. Winner
of back-to-back U.S. Opens (plus the
2018 PGA Championship), Koepka
will attempt to match Willie Anderson
as the only player to grab three
straight – and it's been 114 years since
that happened. Prior to 2019, he's com-
peted only once at Pebble Beach, tying
for eighth at the 2016 AT&T, but if
there's one thing we've learned about
Brooks Koepka, it is this: Never under-
estimate him.
THE BRITISH OPEN
July 18-21; NBC/Golf Channel
Whether you call it the British Open
or The Open Championship, it is the
game's oldest major, dating to 1860. In
2019, Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush
plays host, only the second time in his-
tory the Open has been contested out-
side of Scotland or England. The other
occasion was 1951 – at Royal Portrush.
The Venue: Situated in the far north
of Ireland, Royal Portrush's Dunluce
fi
