Three dark horses to watch at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

The clubs that get Hoge in trouble are his driver and putter, but those weaknesses shouldn't be an issue for him this week. Pebble Beach is a short, positional golf course that doesn't require a driver on every par 4 and par 5, so Hoge can club down with a 3 wood or hybrid to stay in the fairways. Pebble also features Poa annua greens, which aren't for everyone but certainly fit Hoge's eye.

Over the last three years, Hoge ranks No. 4 in this field in strokes gained from putting on Poa. It's no wonder his lone PGA Tour win came at this tournament in 2022. Pebble is a perfect fit for Hoge's game. 

Mark Hubbard

Hubbard is one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour, so he doesn't stand a chance at the long, modern golf courses these guys normally play. At Pebble Beach, though, that disadvantage is mitigated. Pebble relies on its small greens and unpredictable winds to cause trouble, not its length. At just over 7,000 yards it's one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour rotation every year.

Hubbard thrives on shorter courses because he's such a good wedge and short-iron player. The 35-year-old ranks fourth in this field in total strokes gained on "very short" courses over the last 24 rounds. Hubbard finished T4 at this tournament last year because he ranked second in the field behind Wyndham Clark in strokes gained from putting. 

Christiaan Bezuidenhout

You get the theme by now, right? Short irons and confidence putting on Poa greens are the names of the game at Pebble Beach, and Bezuidenhout checks both boxes. 

The South African is coming off a 2024 season in which he ranked seventh on Tour in approaches from 50-125 yards, first in one-putt percentage and third in three-putt avoidance. He also ranks 14th in this field in strokes gained from putting on Poa over the last two years. 

Bezuindenhout hasn't shot worse than a 71 in seven career competitive rounds at Pebble Beach, which led to finishes of T14 and T20 in his first two starts here.