EXCLUSIVE: Day Three at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Insights into playing the most prominent pro-am tournament in America—if not the world.

Pat Hamill

Eight-handicap Pat Hamill—the founder and CEO of Oakwood Homes and founder of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch—is playing in his seventh AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week. Each day he will share insights with Contributing Editor Ted Johnson into playing the most prominent pro-am tournament in America—if not the world.

Feb. 6

We played about 10 holes on Monterey Peninsula on Wednesday, and we open the tournament there on Thursday. Then it’s Pebble Beach on Friday and then Spyglass. And then Pebble Beach again on Sunday—when we make the cut.

The field seems as good as last year when you look at all the players. Mickelson is here. Snedeker. But without the rain, the courses are great. The greens are poa annua, but they’re good. 

What is interesting about this tournament is that not only are we inside the ropes with some of the best players in the world, but you’re with the titans of industry and titans of the entertainment world. J.P. McManus, the well-known trader, resort- and thoroughbred-owner from Ireland, is sitting with me at the Lodge tonight.

On Monday Charlie Soule—my caddie and the director of the Green Valley Ranch Golf Academy—and I hung out with Kenny G. We’re out last night and Bill Belichick is leaning right up against me. We talked Tuesday night with Peyton Manning, who handled himself great.
 
The Shore course at Monterey Peninsula is one of the nicest courses out here. Obviously it doesn’t have the history of Pebble Beach or Cypress Point or even Spyglass, but there are so many holes on the ocean and is so fun to play. It’s so links-style. I love it.

The way the scoring typically goes is that you have to do reasonably well at MPCC, so you have to expect to be 6- to 8-under par as a team, and I’m getting 11 shots a round. At Pebble Beach you have to be 9- or 10-under par, and then at Spyglass you have to be as a team 2- or 3-under.

I’m just enjoying every moment of this event. I was in the player’s lounge and it's great seeing Andy Garcia and other players. Just talking to the guys. Everyone is a real person.

The event humanizes everyone, like Group O CEO Gregg Ontiveros, from Davenport, Iowa, who won the pro-am with pro Brian Harman in 2012.

Gregg, who's here again this year, told us he drank a box of Franzia wine out of the Waterford crystal trophy he earned. Not Silver Oak or Jordan. A box of Franzia. That's just fine. It's how he rolls.

My routine here is to go to the practice range in the morning and get my back stretched out in the hospitality suite. That’s just one of the many things that makes the AT&T the best pro-am in the world.

RELATED LINKS

EXCLUSIVE: Day 1 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

EXCLUSIVE: Day Two at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am