Patrick Cantlay took three months off after his Ryder Cup debut and did not appear again until the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, so he was entitled to have plenty of rust in his system.
However, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year got quickly back into a groove and finished fourth.
Cantlay followed up that effort with ninth place in The American Express, where he opened with a round of 62, and a feature of his golf this year has been excellent ball-striking and average putting.
If the Californian finds some form with the flat stick, he looks capable of destroying the humdrum Pebble Beach Pro-Am field this week, and odds of 13/2 are well worth considering.
Cantlay made his debut in this event in 2013 – when he was ranked 320th in the world – and he finished ninth. Form figures of 11-3 from his last two Pebble Beach starts show how close he has been to claiming home-state glory at this iconic venue.
Berger Looking to Defend Pebble Beach Title
Daniel Berger is the defending champion at Pebble Beach this week and the Floridian can be backed at 9/1.
Formbook students will be attracted to Berger because he has never finished outside the top ten in his three Pebble Beach Pro-Am starts, but there are reasons for believing Cantlay is a better option for this edition of the event.
Berger was battling issues with his back and his hip during last week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
He still managed to finish 20th in the Farmers – and the 28-year-old insists he and his physiotherapy team have got the injuries under control – but punters playing at the short odds this week must be aware that a flare-up could quickly end their hopes.
“Beware the injured golfer!” is an old war-cry of punters who believe that an injury niggle can free a player up mentally to perform well – because they focus on their health and are more carefree about their golf game – but more sensible members of the betting community stick to fully-fit options.
McNealy Can Go Close to PGA Tour Breakthrough
Californian youngster Maverick McNealy is an interesting option at 20/1 in the Golden State this week.
McNealy, who has a billionaire father, used to spend lots of time at Pebble Beach – his family owned a summer house by the 15th green – and this is the PGA Tour venue where he feels most comfortable.
The 26-year-old has looked wonderfully at ease in the last two Pebble Beach Pro-Ams – and come mightily close to making his PGA Tour breakthrough there.
Two years ago, he finished fifth, then last year he pushed Daniel Berger all the way and ended up taking the runner-up spot.
McNealy’s effort 12 months ago was even more impressive when you consider that he suffered a one-shot penalty in round three for his ball moving slightly when he addressed it in some greenside rough. He got his first PGA Tour hole-in-one last week and a maiden PGA Tour title could be coming on Sunday.
*All odds correct at time of writing.