Sunday at the AT&T: Taylor Claims Wire-to-Wire Victory

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Nick Taylor shot an impressive 19-under 72-hole score of 268 to claim a wire-to-wire victory at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, becoming the tournament’s first Canadian champion. After teeing off in the morning with only a one-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson, Taylor kept his cool – and the lead – for all 18 holes. With blustery conditions minimizing scoring potential, Taylor increased his lead and sealed the deal for his ultimate victory with a chip-in birdie from the rough on the 15th hole.

Taylor’s win has a fairytale feeling. With only one previous PGA TOUR victory to his name – a win at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014 – he faced additional pressure in being paired with fan-favorite Mickelson for the first time in the final round. Taylor was up to the challenge, putting on a dominant performance and maintaining his solo lead at the end of every round. Coincidentally, the last player to win at AT&T in wire-to-wire fashion was Mickelson, back in 2005.

 

Said Taylor of his victory, “You never know when that one break happens. I had to battle for my card the last few years, I think some of those rounds to keep my card helped me today for sure. It was huge days and it just gives me great confidence moving forward.”

Mickelson reached a critical juncture in the tournament today at the 8th and 9th holes, when he double bogeyed the 8th and bogeyed the 9th. Prior to that, Mickelson had hit the green in regulation on every hole. The mistakes at the 8th and 9th took him from shooting 3-under on the first seven back to par. He was unable to recover, and ultimately finished third behind Kevin Streelman.

Streelman and Fitzgerald Take the Amateur Team Title

In addition to taking second place in the professional competition, Kevin Streelman and celebrity partner Larry Fitzgerald rallied to take the Amateur team win. This was the second time the duo has won this tournament as a pair, having won previously in 2017.  Only three other pairs in AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am history have achieved two wins; most recently Hubert Green and Dean Spanos in 1985 and 1990.

“We just ham-and-egged it perfectly, to be honest,” Streelman said of his partnership with Fitzgerald. “I just love this guy. He’s a great man and we had a lot of fun out there.” Fitzgerald echoed the sentiment, saying “It feels great. Anytime you can have success in a team format like this it makes you feel good. And Kevin, he’s one of the best players in the world and I am really happy for him.” Could an unprecedented third win be in the pair’s future?

Spieth Made an Epic Comeback

Jordan Spieth also had a notable day, shooting a 67 and coming up in the rankings from T55 to T9. “I hit just a phenomenal wedge into 14, which is probably the hardest par-5 we play all year when it’s blowing,” said Spieth. “I hit it to about a foot there and that got some momentum going. Just took it to the front nine and kept hitting it close.”

 

Congratulations to all of our players for an incredible tournament!

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