The success Dustin Johnson has had at the Pebble Beach Pro Am makes him a natural choice by odds makers to win this week at the famed tournament. The two-time winner has been installed as an 11/2 favorite to capture the event for a third time.
Though they are a distant second and third and even fourth on the board there are a quartet of golfers who have done well at the Monterey Bay courses and could easily be holding the trophy on Sunday. Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are second at 9/1, Jason Day follows at 10/1 and Jordan Spieth is fourth at 12/1.
This looks like Johnson’s event to lose, however. The No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings has four top 5 finishes and is the second career money winner. He said he has an affinity for this week.
“I just really enjoy coming here,” he said Tuesday. “I enjoy the courses, they’re a lot of fun to play. This event is a special event.”
Finding Their Groove
Johnson hasn’t played as many events as some of his other contemporaries but the ones he has entered he has done well. He won the Tournament of Champions at the beginning of the year and then finished tied for ninth at Abu Dhabi.
“The game feels really good,” Johnson said. “I got a lot of confidence in it. I’m looking forward to the rest of this year.”
Johnson has shown he can handle the distractions of the pro-am format, which includes an amateur partner and is held at three different courses, Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore.
Another golfer who has shown he doesn’t mind the unique tournament format is Rahm. The No. 2 ranked player won a similar format three weeks ago at the Career Builder Challenge.
He also finished second to Johnson at the Tournament of Champions. Rahm played last week at the Waste Management Open and tied for 11th. If Rahm wins Pebble he could claim the No. 1 spot depending on where Johnson finishes.
Among the others behind Johnson in the odds Jason Day has had success at this event. The Australian hasn’t missed a cut in eight appearances and has four finishes at sixth or better. He also won the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks ago.
Betting Chip Shots
McIlroy might be the most appealing selection at 9/1. The Irish golfer has played in two European Tour events finishing tied for third at Abu Dhabi and then was second the following week at Dubai. The only question mark is this is his first PGA Tour event of the year.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth might be able to make it two in a row here. The No. 3 had a top 10 at the Tournament of Champions but missed the cut at last week’s Waste Management Open.
Phil Mickelson might be a long shot worth considering. Lefty is the all-time money winner here and has four Pebble titles. He finished second in 2016 and last week recorded a tie for fifth at the Waste Management Open.
