{"id":5491,"date":"2026-05-26T21:25:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T21:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/5491\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T21:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T21:25:10","slug":"the-att-pebble-beach-pro-ams-long-and-colorful-history-monterey-herald","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/5491\/","title":{"rendered":"The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am\u2019s long and colorful history \u2013 Monterey Herald"},"content":{"rendered":"

George Fazio and Ed Furgol had long, versatile careers. But they may be among the lesser-remembered winners of professional golf tournaments on the Monterey Peninsula.<\/p>\n

Fazio was also a renowned course designer who incorporated cloverleaves and butterfly shapes into bunkers. Furgol won the 1954 U.S. Open and played with a left arm 10 inches shorter than his right arm.<\/p>\n

The golfers\u2019 names emerged together once on top of a final leaderboard in 1947 in the first year after the Bing Crosby Pro-Am moved from its origin in Southern California to the Monterey Peninsula.<\/p>\n

The duo tied in the event\u2019s 54-hole debut and split the winner\u2019s check of $2,000 while playing Pebble Beach, Cypress Point Club and Monterey Peninsula Country Club. It was the first time a PGA Tour event was played on three courses.<\/p>\n

\"20232023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Justin Rose tees off in last year’s tournament. (Arianna Nalbach – Monterey Herald file)<\/p>\n

Fazio, who died in 1986, won 10 professional events, including the 1945 California State Open in Fresno. Furgol, a six-time PGA Tour titlist, died in 1997.<\/p>\n

The 80th edition of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, its legacy packed with legendary and unheralded titlists, begins Thursday.<\/p>\n

Amended and appended through nine decades, five official names and one cancellation, the tournament is scheduled to include 80 professionals and 80 amateurs.<\/p>\n

Minus its long-tenured combined pro-am persona of professionalism and playfulness, the tournament marks the start of the PGA Tour\u2019s hybrid season, its eight Signature Events.<\/p>\n

Changes occurred after the LIV Tour held its first tournament in 2022. The Saudi-financed circuit attracted some of golf\u2019s most prominent players away from the PGA Tour with multi-million dollar contracts, three-round events, no cuts and guaranteed tournament earnings. In response, the PGA Tour introduced its exclusive series.<\/p>\n

A majority of the game\u2019s top players will compete in the AT&T, which for the third year is a $20 million event with a $4.5 million winner\u2019s share.<\/p>\n

The championship is scheduled for 72 holes, including two rotating rounds at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill and weekend play only at Pebble Beach. It\u2019s one of five elevated events without a cut.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019ve found out is that we are teaching our fans what we are about,\u201d said Steve John, tournament director and CEO of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the tournament organizers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had 78 years as a celebrity pro-am to (change) to what we are now, a 36-hole pro-am and a 36-hole professional at Pebble Beach on the weekend. For a golf fan, there\u2019s probably nothing better.\u201d<\/p>\n

A handful of celebrity amateurs will still participate in one round each at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. Weekend play will include pros only at Pebble Beach, the tournament host course for the 74th time.<\/p>\n

\"JackJack Nicklaus, left, and Bing Crosby at Pebble Beach during the 1968 Crosby Pro-Am. (Monterey Herald Archives)<\/p>\n

Since its early years, the AT&T has featured many of golf\u2019s best players, Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods and Sam Snead to Scottie Scheffler. But the adjoining celebrity pro-am attracted non-golf fans, the tournament\u2019s revenue anchor.<\/p>\n

As much as any player, spectators followed comedians, country singers and actors. But the tournament\u2019s lightheartedness is gone. Only serious golf for serious money remains.<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy will defend his 2025 title among a field comprised of most of the top 80-ranked players. Tournament organizers have four exemption positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel very comfortable with the product (players) we are putting on the golf course and with the new product (entertainment) for the fans will check a lot of boxes and bring more fans to the tournament,\u201d said John.<\/p>\n

While the AT&T is the 10th-oldest PGA Tour event, its location and long tenure as one of the circuit\u2019s few celebrity pro-ams make its legend additionally unique. Until 2024, it was a mixture of golf\u2019s universal common appeals \u2014 humor and skill.<\/p>\n

Consider some of the tournament\u2019s famous, infamous and otherwise notable moments through its nine decades and the pending 80th edition:<\/p>\n

1940s<\/p>\n

With a final-round 75, Fazio finished the $10,000 debut event in the 1947 tournament, several hours ahead of Furgol. But the latter rallied in the rain among the field of 75 to emerge in a tie. The on-course drama was equaled by tempers off the course. Fred Corcoran, tournament manager for the PGA, told authorities he was recovering from \u201cbruised lips and loosened teeth\u201d after an unprovoked attack by pro Dick Metz outside a Carmel restaurant. Corcoran added, \u201cMetz struck me on the mouth without warning.\u201d Metz explained the situation differently. Corcoran eventually dropped the charges against Metz.<\/p>\n

1950s<\/p>\n

Teammates Ben Hogan and Bing Crosby both played in the event for the final time in 1958. Hogan tied for 32nd, 19 strokes behind winner Cary Middlecoff. The duo led the pro-am division after the first round but faded. Steady rain started the night before the last round and continued throughout the next day. Standing water spotted fairways and greens were underwater. Crosby asked Hogan to leave the course to go to his house off the 13th hole. But Hogan continued to play and finished with an 81.<\/p>\n

\"ClintClint Eastwood and Bill Murray in the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (Doug Duran\/Bay Area News Group)
\n1960s<\/p>\n

Clint Eastwood made his debut in the 1963 tournament\u2019s pro-am with the quick wit of a stand-up comedian. The actor-director and future Pebble Beach Company owner said it took so long for him to get invited because the tournament founder didn\u2019t like cowboys. Legend details Eastwood\u2019s invitation for his tournament debut included Bing Crosby\u2019s words, \u201cP.S. By the way, I do like cowboys.\u201d<\/p>\n

1970s<\/p>\n

Five years after his first time, Jack Nicklaus won in 1972 in a playoff and again in 1973 in a playoff. Nicklaus and Johnny Miller were tied after 72-hole regulation play at 4-under.<\/p>\n

But Nicklaus won on the 15th, the first playoff hole. He hit his 9-iron tee shot to 18 feet and made birdie. He returned to Pebble Beach to win his third U.S. Open title a few months and issued one of the tournament\u2019s most well-known quotes: \u201cI\u2019ve said many times before that if I had one more round of golf in my life, I\u2019d probably want to play it at Pebble Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

1980s<\/p>\n

Mark O\u2019Meara had a 44-year pro career filled with international success. With Phil Mickelson, he has a record five AT&T titles, the first of which was won in 1985.
It was the last year founder Bing Crosby\u2019s name remained in the event\u2019s title. O\u2019Meara\u2019s consistency at Pebble Beach also propelled him to AT&T titles in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1997. He won the pro-am division with his father Bob in 1990. Detailing the final round and O\u2019Meara\u2019s win in 1992, Mark Soltau, then a staff writer for the San Francisco Examiner, wrote: \u201cSamuel Morse, the founder of Pebble Beach, used to be known as the Duke of Del Monte. Now, meet the Prince of Pebble, Mark O\u2019Meara.\u201d<\/p>\n

1990s<\/p>\n

Comedian-actor Bill Murray attracted more AT&T spectators than anyone. In 1993, he danced with an elderly woman in a bunker off the 18th hole. The woman awkwardly fell. PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman was critical of Murray and his antics.<\/p>\n

One year later, Murray started a television interview by asking for Beman\u2019s resignation and added, \u201cIt\u2019s a Nazi state out here. He (Beman) is trying to ban us from the tournament because it\u2019s too much fun. He\u2019s out of touch. He\u2019s just another screwhead too big for his britches.\u201d<\/p>\n

2000s<\/p>\n

Tiger Woods never seemed to care much for the AT&T. He doesn\u2019t like the poa annua grass at Pebble Beach. And he wasn\u2019t enamored of playing with celebrities.
But trailing by seven shots with seven holes left in the fourth round in the 2000 event, he shot a 64 on the Monday finale for his sixth straight PGA Tour win. Matt Gogel and Vijay Singh tied for second, trailing Woods by two shots.<\/p>\n

\u00a02010s<\/p>\n

Ted Potter Jr. had won more than 50 times since his only previous PGA Tour title, all on mini-tours, fringe pro events and in weekend hustles.
But 16 years after claiming the 2012 Greenbrier Classic, Potter took his second title in 2018 with arguably the most unexpected win in tournament history.
Ranked 246th in the world, Potter finished with 11 straight pars for a 69 at Pebble Beach and a three-shot win over Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Chez Reavie. Potter assumed the lead with a third-round 62 at MPCC.<\/p>\n

\u00a02020s<\/p>\n

With a third-round, 12-under 60, the lowest competitive round ever posted on Pebble Beach, Wyndham Clark claimed the AT&T\u2019s weather-plagued, 54-hole 2024 Signature Event debut. Clark\u2019s round included two eagles, nine birdies and one bogey. He eclipsed the previous tournament record of 62 shared by Tom Kite, David Duval, Patrick Cantlay and Matthias Schwab. Clark finished one shot ahead of Sweden\u2019s Ludvig Aberg and two shots better than Matthieu Pavon of France.<\/p>\n

If you go<\/p>\n

The tournament runs from a little before 9 a.m. until about 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Portions will be televised by the Golf Channel and CBS. For tickets and more information, visit www.attpbgolf.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"George Fazio and Ed Furgol had long, versatile careers. But they may be among the lesser-remembered winners of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[1338,182,894,2789,44,896,897,1698,56,1697,1137],"class_list":["post-5491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-att-pebble-beach-pro-am","tag-att-pebble-beach-pro-am","tag-california","tag-central-coast","tag-events","tag-golf","tag-monterey-county","tag-northern-california","tag-pebble-beach","tag-sports","tag-sports-newsletter","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}