Holmes leads The Open after first round 66

Some of Tiger Woods’ most indelible career highlights have come at Pebble Beach. Now he’s planning on adding another, but with blueprints and bulldozers, not his golf clubs. Woods’ design company, TGR Design, and the Pebble Beach Company have announced plans for a reimagined short-course facility at Pebble, which will include a nine-hole par-3 short course, a putting course, and an indoor/outdoor food and beverage venue. “Everyone who plays this golf course is going to enjoy the playability of it,� said Woods, who has 82 career PGA TOUR victories. “Golfers will have the choice to play nearly any club off most tees and around the greens, which will make them think and channel their creativity. It will also play differently from day to day depending on the tee and hole locations and wind direction. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to play it.� Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach. Earlier that year he overcame a seven-shot deficit in nine holes to beat Matt Gogel at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He has plenty of fond memories there. The new short-course facility on the former site of the Peter Hay Golf Course, located directly between the Pebble Beach Pro Shop and Golf Academy, will feature one of the resort’s most stunning views. The new facility will also feature: • A short course comprised of nine par-3 holes ranging in length from 47 to 106 yards and measuring 670 yards in total • A 20,000-square-foot putting course that can be set up in a variety of different hole and routing combinations • A 5,000-square-foot food and beverage venue featuring a full kitchen and bar, indoor seating, and the resort’s largest outdoor patio positioned for expansive views of the short course, putting course, Carmel Bay, and Point Lobos “We are thrilled to elevate the quality of our short course to a level consistent with our other world-class golf courses,� said Bill Perocchi, Chief Executive Officer of Pebble Beach Company. “You can see the genius of Tiger Woods and TGR Design come to life when you walk the site, the way it all fits together. I expect all aspects of this new facility will be very popular for junior golf events, resort golfers, outings, resident hang-outs, and everything in between.� Woods has reoriented the routing to better capture the views, with four holes now playing directly toward Carmel Bay. He also aligned each hole’s yardage to correspond with a significant year in Pebble Beach history, with accompanying plaques on each tee telling a story and creating the sense guests are walking amongst Pebble’s rich championship heritage. The course’s second hole will be an exact replica of the famous par-3 seventh at Pebble Beach Golf Links. “Pebble Beach is such an iconic golf destination,� Woods said, “we want guests to feel the entirety of that spirit when they play this course. We also know not everyone who comes to Pebble Beach will have a chance to play the U.S. Open course, so we wanted to create the opportunity for all visitors to experience one of its most famous holes.� The grand opening is scheduled for the spring of 2021.

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CROMWELL, Conn. – He doesn’t own the place, though Bubba Watson surely has earned enough prize money here ($4.735m) to at least qualify as a limited partner at TPC River Highlands. Short of strolling the streets of Pensacola, Fla., it’s hard to envision an environment that puts Watson in his comfort zone quite like the week of the Travelers Championship. He’s playing for the 15th time in 16 years and per usual, Watson is the center of attention, widely loved by fans who even in these days of limited attendance are following his every move with such zest that it’s impossible not to know what he’s doing. Strike that. Apparently, Watson’s four birdies in seven holes on his final nine, his pink-headed driver face that came flying off the shaft, and his 4-under 66 to push to 8-under 132 and into the clubhouse lead were thrilling stuff for seemingly everyone but one on site. The exception was playing competitor Phil Mickelson, who said he couldn’t add anything to the picture. “Not really paying attention,” he said. “I’ve had my own struggles at the time.” Oh, those crazy lefthanders and their maniacal games that were at different ends of the spectrum. Mickelson, indeed, was all over the map, “pathetic” bogeys at Nos. 1 and 2 put him at 1-over, but he birdied three of the final four holes to shoot 69 and get to 2-under, likely good enough to make the cut. Making the cut is rarely in doubt for Watson at the Travelers, not when you’ve won three times, finished second once, and top 10 on two other occasions. With back-to-back 66s, he’s now broken par in 40 of his 52 rounds at TPC River Highlands, and 17 of the scores have been 66 or lower. Can he explain the warm embrace he feels here? “When you come off the U.S. Open, everything seems easier,” he said. “Even though there is thick rough, you feel like you can play out of it. You can still move the ball forward.” He also watched his driver face go flying when it came off the shaft at the second hole. It didn’t travel 295 yards, as did his golf ball, “but once you hit, you’re focused on where the driver head goes; it didn’t reach the crowd.” Clearly, it didn’t unravel Watson (his backup driver was brought out to him two holes later), who birdied Nos. 5, 6 and 7 and didn’t even seem ruffled by a three-putt bogey at his 18th hole, the par-4 ninth. And why would he be shaken by that ending? He’s among thousands of people who cherish his presence and a golf course that feels like the warmest slippers you can imagine.

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