Pebble Beach Pro-Am Nearly Perfect

Story and Photos by Jon Chown

PEBBLE BEACH — When Phil Mickelson’s ball refused to drop on Sunday, wrapping around the lip of the 18th cup and skeetering off to leave Vaughn Taylor the victory, it ended what many fans thought to be the best overall Pebble Beach Pro-Am in recent history.

“Oh definitely the best I’ve ever been to — and I’ve been the last 10 years or so,” said Cedric Singleton of Chicago, who was watching the last day’s drama unfold in the bleachers above the 7th green. “When you consider who is golfing, the celebrities that are here — and this weather this year. It’s been just amazing! Did you see those whales just now?”

Both whales and dolphins gave the audience a show between swings on the 7th on Sunday. It was the kind of scenery that awed spectators all week as sunny skies prevailed in a tournament known for its inclement weather.

“I’ve been rained on plenty of times before. I’ve nearly gotten blown out of the stands by wind here. They say Chicago is the windy city … well, it gets just as windy out here. But this year, I’ve just been going through a lot of sunscreen. It’s hot out here.”

Taylor was certainly hot on Sunday. He won the event with a furious rally, making five birdies on the back nine, four of them in a row. Taylor, six back in the beginning of the day, waited for Mickelson to what seemed to be a playoff.

After getting a birdie on 17 to pull within a stroke, Mickelson stood over a 5-foot putt on the 18th green to tie it — but he missed.

Taylor, watching from the fringe, immediately got a slap on the back from the winning amateur Gregg Ontiveros and Taylor’s wife broke out in tears and sobs as the two hugged. It had been more than 10 years since his last tour win.

“Just absolutely amazing,” Taylor said of the victory afterwards. “Didn’t know if it would ever happen again, to be honest. Just lost a lot of confidence, lost a good bit of my game. I just kept working, grinding and kept at it — and I can’t believe it actually happened today.”

Taylor’s victory was certainly unexpected, but so was Mickelson’s second-place showing. Golf’s new generation of stars were at this year’s event, which featured five of the PGA’s top 10-ranked golfers: Jordan Spieth (1), Jason Day (3), Bubba Watson (6), Justin Rose (7) and Dustin Johnson (8).

There were plenty of big-name celebrities joining them on the course. Bill Murray was back again this year. He was joined by Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Romano, Larry the Cable Guy, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald, Jim Harbaugh and many others that crowds lined up to see and ask autographs of.

“I got Rodgers’ autograph. He was super nice,” said Ashley Robinson, a 9-year-old from Los Angeles. “I think I’m a Packers fans now.”

The huge event raises money for a variety of charities, most of them local. The biggest benefactor is the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which in turn donated $9.1 to various local nonprofits in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.

“This was the perfect tournament this year, as far as the golfers, the celebs, the weather — and the exciting ending. What a week,” said Dave Johnson of San Jose, standing in line for a shuttle at the end of the day on Sunday.