No backdoor top 10s for the Bulldogs last week, and none were contending on an exciting final 9 holes ultimately won by Chris Gotterup over Hideki Matsuyama on the first playoff hole. But money was earned,
and FedEx Cup points were awarded. Brian Harman, most recent honoree of the 2026 UGA Young Alumnus Award, never got anything going and missed the cut by a few strokes. Chris Kirk couldn’t get the ball in the hole in Round 2 and missed the cut by 1. Davis Thompson was in decent shape for the weekend, but slid down to T64 at the end. Keith Mitchell played steady if uninspired golf and he finished T41. Harris English climbed up a few spots each day, and Sunday showed him in a tie for 28th. And Sepp Straka also kept hanging around, ultimately to T18. Now onto this week’s Signature Event.
Tournament: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, February 12-15, 2026
Course(s): Spyglass Hill Golf Course: Par 72, 7,071 yards and Pebble Beach Golf Links: Par 72, 6,989 yards.
Purse: $20 million in total with $3,600,000 to the winner. And no cut. Last place gets $32,000. 35th place is over $100k. Thus the title of the article. Think of it like the inflated contracts Power4 QBs are getting – it is ultimately unsustainable without some change.
Defending Champ: Rory McIlroy. At this time last year, McIlroy was but a fresh-faced kid off the boat from Ireland. Okay, he was already a multi-millionaire, but he was NOT a Grand Slam and Masters Champion. Last year, Georgia’s own Sepp Straka actually held a 1 stroke lead going into Sunday, but it was bunched and there was a lot of movement early with the lead bouncing around. Then McIlroy got his irons and putter to work, and he closed with a 66 and a 2 stroke lead (Straka finished 7th, Henley raced up to a T5, Mitchell was T33, Harman was T53, Thompson was T58, Kirk T62, English T73 and Todd T78. )
Fun Fact: It’s Pebble Beach. It’s the old Bing Crosby Clambake. It’s Clint Eastwood prowling around, Bill Murray shanking and not coordinating, and Jim Nantz getting to sleep at home (a proprety on the course that is probably north of $15 million).
TV Times: Golf Channel will have coverage Thursday and Friday 3-7 pm ET, also on Saturday and Sunday 1-3 pm ET. CBS will have the main weekend coverage Saturday and Sunday 3-7:00 pm ET. Set your DVRs to record 60 minutes as appropriate.
And a reminder that if you have ESPN+, you have coverage from essentially 11 am ET every day, and with mutlitple streams to view (featured groups, featured holes, main feed, etc.). And SiriusXM has coverage from 1:00 pm every day.
‘Dawgs in the Field: 6. The usual suspects thanks to finishing top 50 last year. Harris English, Sepp Straka, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Chris Kirk (thanks to a good Fall season a few months back), and Keith Mitchell (via a sponsor’s exemption).
It is the first “Signature Event” of the 2026 season, which means a smaller field, an elite field for those qualified, and bloated purses. If you qualify for this tournament, you were already rich from your recent success. And now you get guaranteed money, about double what is available at a normal Tour event. So the rich get richer.
My bitter pill is wearing off so I’ll mention the highlights. First, it’s Pebble Beach, widely regarded as one of if not the most picturesque places to play golf on earth. Hugging Carmel Bay along 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, the Pacific Ocean is actually in play on several holes. Unpredictable weather, scenic vistas, and some of the most expensive land in the US is where these millionaires will ply their trade.
And it’s a pro-am. In the old format, with a full field across 3 courses, the players were still faced with 6+ hour rounds thanks to pandering to the crowd and foursomes including the amateur partners who would lose balls and play poorly on a course set up for PGA pros. But it’s fun, provides a few TV moments, and is one of the last tournaments to have amateurs play alongside pro during the competitive rounds.
Keith Mitchell seems to have some magnetism. He previously paired with Josh Allen of the Bills, and this year is teaming with Taylor Swift’s fiance.
Chris Kirk will play with David Kohler, CEO of the Kohler Company which owns Whistling Straits and some sink accessories.
Russell Henley is teamed with Ted Fike, who I believe is an entrepreneur and founder of Investco (among others).
Sepp Straka with Chris Reyes, co-chair of the 6th largest private company in the country.
Brian Harman with Bill Rogers. There are a lot of famous people with that name, but I think this is the CEO of Truist.
Harris English with Ralph LaRossa, and I’m guessing this is the CEO of PSEG, one of the big power companies in the US and specifically NY/NJ.
There are a few other celebrities which I recognize, but I won’t bore you with details. More importantly, the vast majority of the world’s top 50 golfers will be going head to head at an iconic venue with a lot on the line. Enjoy, and as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
