With the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am acting as the first signature event of the 2026 PGA Tour season, it is no surprise that the large majority of the field currently find themselves inside the top 100 of the world rankings.
It is a star-studded field set to tee it up at one of the most iconic venues in the game.
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Adam Schenk is the lowest ranked player in the field, with last year’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship winner currently sitting 131st in the world rankings.
It is a far cry from this event a decade ago when the world number 477 came from six shots behind at the start of the final round to win on the PGA Tour for the first time in nearly 11 years.
How Phil Mickelson was beaten by the world number 477 at Pebble Beach
No player has enjoyed more success at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am over the years than Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson won the event on five occasions, with 21 years separating his first and last victories.
But it could, and really should have been six wins for Mickelson.
He led heading into the final round in 2016 after scores of 68, 65 and 66. Interestingly, he did not have an amazing record on the last day, having failed to break 71 in four of his last five appearances in the tournament.
Mickelson was also going through some significant swing changes at the time having parted ways with legendary coach Butch Harmon the previous year.
That opened the door for a player who was not even meant to be in the field at the start of the week.
How Vaughn Taylor rolled back the years to win on the PGA Tour again
Vaughn Taylor came in as an alternate after Carl Pettersson had withdrawn.
Taylor had previously been one of the best players on the planet, reaching 37 in the world rankings in 2007. He also represented Team USA at the Ryder Cup one year earlier.
But his form had dipped significantly over the next decade. He went into the 2015/16 season only with past champion status on the PGA Tour.
However, his round of 65 on Sunday was enough to see Taylor move to the top of the leaderboard. He birdied four of his last six holes.
And when Mickelson – who made two bogeys on the back nine – missed a short birdie putt on the 72nd hole, it was confirmed that Taylor had his third ever PGA Tour victory.
Unfortunately for Taylor, the win did not exactly spark a remarkable revival in his career.
In fact, the then 39-year-old went on to miss his next five cuts on the PGA Tour. The win at Pebble Beach proved to be his only top 10 of the season, though he would produce a number of solid performances over the next few years.
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Mickelson was asked about being caught by the world number 477 on Sunday at Pebble Beach.
“He’s a nice guy. I’m happy for him. I haven’t seen him in a long time, so it’s good to see him back playing well,” was his reply.
Taylor, meanwhile, revealed that his focus was just to finish high enough that he would avoid having to fight to earn a place in the field for the following week’s Northern Trust Open.
“Just absolutely amazing. I can’t believe I’m actually sitting here right now. Didn’t know if it would ever happen again, to be honest,” he said.
“Just lost a lot of confidence, lost a good bit of my game. I just kept working, kept grinding, and kept at it. And I can’t believe it actually happened today.
“Just wanted to finish top 10. Just wanted a place to play next week. I was going to drive up to Monday qualify. So I just wanted to take my time and finish top 10 and not have to worry about the qualifier.”
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