Paulie’s Picks: 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

This week, the Korn Ferry PGA Tour heads to Pebble Beach.

Yeah, it’s a weak field. Over the past 48 hours, a bunch of players have withdrawn from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, including world No. 1 Dustin Johnson. The result is the kind of field you’d expect at a random stop in the fall.

This year’s tournament will be different in other ways, too. No amateurs will be present, and only two courses, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, will be used on Thursday and Friday. After a 36-hole cut, the pros will play two weekend rounds at Pebble. Without amateurs to distract CBS producers, we may actually get to see golf shots hit by professional golfers on the telecast.

Here are some players to target in your fantasy leagues this week:

DraftKings

Daniel Berger $10,100

Berger is the No. 1 overall player in my model this week, ranking slightly ahead of Patrick Cantlay, and Berger is cheaper than Cantlay. Yes, he missed the cut on the number in Phoenix after collapsing down the stretch on Friday. But this is a new week, and Berger is one of the strongest value plays at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He should be at least $11,000 in this field. In his past 26 starts on the PGA Tour, he has finished in the top 40 23 times. He has placed fifth and 10th in two appearances at Pebble Beach, and he ranks second in putting, third in birdies, fifth in par-5 scoring, seventh off the tee, and 22nd on approach.

Adam Long $7,300

Long is No. 62 in the world, which means he is the eighth highest-ranked player in the Pebble Beach field. Somehow, though, he is priced $2,000 less than players with a similar ranking. He has made 13 of his past 15 cuts, and since, like Berger, he missed the cut on the number last week, his price has been depressed. This week, I’m betting on Long’s long-term form, and he should at least make the cut in this thin field.

One-and-Done

Kevin Streelman

Streelman has played great at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am over the past five years, finishing second, seventh, sixth, 14th, and 17th. He arrives in Monterey playing well, having placed 22nd and 37th the past two weeks.

Phil Mickelson

Mickelson has finished third or better in four of his past five starts here, and he won his fifth AT&T title just two years ago. His game looked solid enough last week in Saudi Arabia, even though he probably wishes he could have done better than T-53. This is the only event where I’d consider using Lefty in 2021, so you might as well pull the trigger now.