Steve Palmer's Pebble Beach Pro-Am preview, best bets, free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm Thursday

Best bets

Patrick Cantlay
4pts each-way 12-1 BoyleSports
Click to back this tip with Paddy Power

Branden Grace
2.5pts each-way 33-1 Ladbrokes
Click to bet on this tip with Coral

Adam Hadwin
1.5pts each-way 60-1 Betfair, Power, Sky Bet
Click to bet on this selection with Paddy Power

Maverick McNealy
1pt each-way 125-1 Sky Bet
Click to bet on this tip with Hills

Dustin Johnson was well supported by early-bird punters for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am because formbook students are finding him irresistible – the former world number one is a two-time Pebble champion who finished runner-up in the Saudi International last week.

Johnson slowly but surely appears to be finding his A-game in the wake of knee surgery, but the trek from Saudi Arabia to California is not factored into his Pebble price. Pro-Ams feature long rounds among amateurs, making concentration difficult, and there must be a chance that a jet-lagged Johnson makes a sluggish start.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Patrick Cantlay 12-1

Superior value at almost double the odds of the favourite this week is Patrick Cantlay, who has not competed since finishing 34th on his Abu Dhabi Championship debut in the middle of last month.

Cantlay, who was born in California, went to college there and still lives in the Golden State, will have prepared thoroughly for this home gig and should go close to a third PGA Tour title.

The former world number one amateur is good enough to have designs on top spot in the professional rankings and starts at Pebble Beach in eighth place. When he made his Pro-Am debut in 2013, he was 320th in the rankings, but highlighted his course-comfort by finishing ninth.

Injury problems meant he did not tee up at Pebble again until 2017 – by which time he was close to dropping outside of the world's top 2,000 – but he finished a respectable 48th despite having gone 27 months without a tournament. This week, for the first time, he has arrived for the Pro-Am in mint condition.

Cantlay took a lot of confidence from the Presidents Cup just before Christmas at Royal Melbourne, where he represented his country for the first time and made a significant contribution, earning three points and defeating Joaquin Niemann in the singles.

Fourth place in the Sentry Tournament of Champions followed for Cantlay and even better can be expected at Pebble Beach, where his razor-sharp short-game stands him in good stead around the smallest greens on the circuit. He finished third in the PGA Tour scrambling stats last season.

Next best bet

Branden Grace 33-1

The Phoenix Open provided a continuation of a recent resurgence for Branden Grace, who finished third in the Alfred Dunhill Championship before Christmas, then won the South African Open by three shots last month. Ninth place in Phoenix was a decent effort and this steely competitor is looking much more like his old self.

Grace relishes coastal venues which he can attack with plenty of wedges in hand – his lone PGA Tour triumph came in the Heritage at Hilton Head Island – and the Pro-Am venues suit him well. He has two solid spins under his belt in this event (20-28) and his third visit can deliver a more serious title challenge.

Other selections

Adam Hadwin 60-1

Maverick McNealy 125-1

Adam Hadwin became a father last month and the Canadian could have a shiny trophy to take home to little Maddox on Sunday. Hadwin is well suited to the demands of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and progressive form figures of 39-18 can lead to something more lucrative.

Hadwin has not played much around the birth of his daughter – he scored one and a half points from three matches in the Presidents Cup, then finished 40th in Phoenix last week – so is fresh and hungry for competition. The 2017 Valspar champion has a superb record in California, including three PGA Tour runner-up finishes.

Complete a four-pronged attack with Maverick McNealy. The former world number one amateur was born in California before starring at Stanford University and this season he seems to have settled nicely on to the PGA Tour. The 24-year-old has made eight cuts in a row and finished 15th at Torrey Pines last time out. McNealy is bursting with potential and this home-state mission seems a fantastic opportunity for a breakthrough victory.

Players to note

Brandon Wu
The promising Californian youngster got his name on the Farmers Insurance Open leaderboard in the early stages, before fading to 55th place. Pebble Beach provides another opportunity for this talent to impress at a juicy price.

Matt Jones
The Arizona-based Aussie will have been gutted to miss the cut on the mark in the Phoenix Open last week, but victory in his national Open in December is still fresh in the memory. He is suited to Pebble Beach and has a solid record there.

Brandt Snedeker
The two-time Pebble Beach champion relishes poa annua greens and four of his nine PGA Tour victories have come in California. He was third at Torrey Pines the week before last, before missing the cut in Phoenix.

Kevin Na
The four-time PGA Tour champion grew up in California and can use his short-game skills to compete strongly at Pebble Beach. He won the Shriners Open in October.

Pebble Beach Pro-Am courses guide

Courses Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Spyglass Hill Golf Club, Pebble Beach, California
Prize money $7.8m ($1.368m to the winner)
Length Pebble Beach 6,816 yards, Monterey Peninsula 6,958 yards, Spyglass Hill 7,035 yards
Par Pebble and Spyglass both 72, Monterey 71
Field 156
Course records- 72 holes 267 Brandt Snedeker (2013) 18 holes Pebble 62 Tom Kite (1983), David Duval (1997) Monterey 60 Sung Kang (2016) Spyglass 62 Phil Mickelson (2005), Luke Donald (2006)

Course winners taking part Phil Mickelson (five times), Dustin Johnson (twice), Graeme McDowell (2010 US Open), DA Points, Brandt Snedeker (twice), Jimmy Walker, Vaughn Taylor, Jordan Spieth, Ted Potter

When to bet By 4pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm Thursday

Time difference California is eight hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Phoenix Open 1 W Simpson (14-1), 2 T Finau (30-1), T3 J Thomas (9-1), B Watson (33-1), N Lashley (250-1), T6 M Homa (125-1), S Piercy (150-1), 8 A Long (250-1)

Course overview This pro-am is always played over three different courses, with 36 holes of competition at the Pebble Beach Links (which has been used since 1947) and 18 apiece on the other two. Poppy Hills was on the rotation from 1991 to 2009 but was replaced by Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Spyglass Hill has been involved every year since 1967 apart from 1977. Pebble Beach hosted its first Major in 1972 (US Open), the 1977 USPGA, then four further US Opens since, most recently in 2000 (won by Tiger Woods), 2010 (Graeme McDowell) and 2019 (Gary Woodland). The set-up is obviously considerably harder for Majors than the pro-am, where scoring averages at Pebble and Monterey are usually under par. Spyglass is the most difficult of the three venues and has been increased by 75 yards this year, making it the longest track in the tournament's history. Every competitor in the event is paired with an amateur partner

Story of last year Phil Mickelson triumphed for a fifth time at Pebble Beach, leaving runner-up Paul Casey three shots behind

Weather forecast Sunny with light breezes for the first three days, but much windier for round four

Type of player suited to the challenge Dustin Johnson dominated this event for two years, topping the driving distance statistics when winning in 2010, so Pebble Beach can clearly be slain by powerhouses. But Mark O'Meara is a five-time Pro-Am champion, proving that short-hitters can succeed with quality ball-striking and finesse around the greens. The last five winners have been short-game masters

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