Nick Taylor Gets the Win at Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, CA – Nick Taylor (-19) shot 70 on Sunday to claim his second career PGA Tour victory at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM. The 31-year-old Canadian persevered through a number of challenges, including heavy winds, during his final round to win on tour for the first time since 2014. Taylor was at the top of the leaderboard virtually all week long and, in the end, no one else could challenge him.
Taylor entered the day with a one stroke lead over Phil Mickelson. The defending champ made plenty of noise throughout the week about “hitting bombs,” and his take on the USGA distance report and his trademark short game was on full display throughout the three rounds at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Monterey Peninsula CC, but he was unable to reduce the deficit on Sunday, shooting a disappointing final round 74 to finish solo third at -14.
Finishing in solo second (-15) was Kevin Streelman, the only player to fire all four rounds in the 60s. Streelman and amateur partner Larry Fitzgerald also went back to back in winning the pro-am portion of the event. Jason Day was also in the mix at the beginning of the final round but ended up shooting 75 to finish at -11 and solo fourth.
Other players who put in notable performances included Jordan Spieth who had to scramble to make the cut and then shot the low round of the day (67) to finish T9; Daniel Berger, who finished T5 and took advantage of one of his limited number of major medical exemption starts to try to reclaim full status; and PGA Tour rookie Maverick McNealy, who shot 68 to also finish T5.
Next week, the PGA Tour heads south to L.A. and Riviera Country Club for the Genesis Invitational. With Tiger serving as host, one of the tour’s most famous stops will enjoy its first year of elevated status. Tiger will seek his first win on the famous golden age course against a strong field that includes the likes of Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Justin Thomas.
Nick Taylor What’s In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 9.5° (Fujikura Atmos Blue Tour Spec 6X)
Fairway: TaylorMade SIM 15° (Fujikura Ventus Blue)
Irons: TaylorMade SIM Max 4 iron, TaylorMade P770 4-W (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100)
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe 52°, 56°, 60° (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Red