What a week it was in the Monterey Peninsula after players battled through wet, foggy, and windy conditions. In fact, play was halted after wind gusts reached well over 30 mph during the 3rd round. For players, it was all about skill and precision as they battled to stay on the small and tucked greens. The tournament was played on 3 spectacular courses including the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links along with Monterey Peninsula CC and Spyglass Hill GC. Let’s take a look at some of the crucial moments that led to crowning Jimmy Walker the 2014 AT&T Pebble Beach champion.
One thing players will not forget to mention is how tricky the greens were along with the putts they missed. If you think we are telling fairy tales then you must go back to the video highlights as there were numerous lip outs during the week. The greens were running fast this week and it definitely showed with the putts that were missed. Jimmy Walker was able to hold on to a 6 shot lead that slipped after he made 4 bogeys on the back 9 of the final round. There was 1 birdie that ultimately saved him from going into a playoff hole. Walker finished with a total score of 11-under. At the beginning of the 2014 season, Walker had started his 8th season on the tour without a single win. That was until magic happened and he closed in to celebrate 3 wins with the Frys.com Open, Sony Open, and at Pebble Beach. In the past 2 decades there have been only 3 other players to win that many events so early in the season.
Dustin Johnson was right on Walkers tail as he had the low round of the day with a 66. That round was interesting enough as he had 3 bogeys but also had 7 birdies and 1 eagle. Jim Renner finished with Johnson at T2 with an overall score of 10-under. For a while, it appeared as though Jordan Spieth would come out victorious as he held the lead but unfortunately dropped it all with a 3rd round score of 78. We like to think it was a bad day to have played on Saturday as he carded 3 scores of 67 in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th round. Spieth has been on fire lately and being in his second year on the PGA Tour, we believe Spieth is going to have quite an exciting career.
Walker takes home 500 FedExCup points and a nice check of $1,188,000 after a grueling week on the links.
Stay tuned to Bunkers Paradise as we preview the Northern Trust Open. Let’s hope the sun will be shining in beautiful Southern California at the Riviera CC.
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