The PGA Tour heads to one of the vital iconic venues within the sport this week for the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am. All eyes will understandably be on Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth for his or her 2025 debuts, however what concerning the lesser-known gamers flying beneath the radar?
Listed here are three darkish horses with sensible possibilities to hoist the trophy on Sunday afternoon.
Tom Hoge
Hoge is perhaps essentially the most underrated ball striker on the PGA Tour. He is by no means talked about in the identical breath as Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, however these are his friends when it comes to the very best iron gamers on this planet. Hoge ranked fourth on the PGA Tour final season in strokes gained on strategy, third in approaches from 50-125 yards and first in approaches from 125-150 yards.
The golf equipment that get Hoge in hassle are his driver and putter, however these weaknesses should not be a difficulty for him this week. Pebble Seaside is a brief, positional golf course that does not require a driver on each par 4 and par 5, so Hoge can membership down with a 3 wooden or hybrid to remain within the fairways. Pebble additionally options Poa annua greens, which are not for everybody however definitely match Hoge’s eye.
During the last three years, Hoge ranks No. 4 on this discipline in strokes gained from placing on Poa. It is no surprise his lone PGA Tour win got here at this match in 2022. Pebble is an ideal match for Hoge’s sport.
Mark Hubbard
Hubbard is without doubt one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour, so he would not stand an opportunity on the lengthy, trendy golf programs these guys usually play. At Pebble Seaside, although, that drawback is mitigated. Pebble depends on its small greens and unpredictable winds to trigger hassle, not its size. At simply over 7,000 yards it is one of many shortest programs on the PGA Tour rotation yearly.
Hubbard thrives on shorter programs as a result of he is such a superb wedge and short-iron participant. The 35-year-old ranks fourth on this discipline in whole strokes gained on “very brief” programs during the last 24 rounds. Hubbard completed T4 at this match final 12 months as a result of he ranked second within the discipline behind Wyndham Clark in strokes gained from placing.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
You get the theme by now, proper? Quick irons and confidence placing on Poa greens are the names of the sport at Pebble Seaside, and Bezuidenhout checks each bins.
The South African is coming off a 2024 season during which he ranked seventh on Tour in approaches from 50-125 yards, first in one-putt proportion and third in three-putt avoidance. He additionally ranks 14th on this discipline in strokes gained from placing on Poa during the last two years.
Bezuindenhout hasn’t shot worse than a 71 in seven profession aggressive rounds at Pebble Seaside, which led to finishes of T14 and T20 in his first two begins right here.
