Pebble Beach’s Evolution: Why the 2026 Pro-Am Matters More Than You Might Think

I’ve been covering professional golf for 35 years now, and I’ve watched this sport transform in ways that would’ve seemed impossible back when I was carrying bags for Tom Lehman in the ’90s. The 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am—kicking off this week as the PGA Tour’s first Signature Event of the season—is a perfect microcosm of where we stand in modern professional golf. And frankly, it’s worth paying attention to.

Here’s what strikes me most about this event: we’re looking at an 80-man, no-cut format with a $20 million purse featuring the absolute cream of the crop. That’s not just a golf tournament anymore. That’s a statement about what the PGA Tour has become in the post-LIV landscape.

The No-Cut Revolution and What It Means

The no-cut format isn’t revolutionary—we’ve seen it before at various events—but its application here at Pebble Beach, one of golf’s most storied venues, signals something important. In my experience covering 15 Masters and countless tour events, I’ve always believed that cutting players creates drama. It’s pressure. It’s stakes. But the Tour is betting that a curated 80-man field of elite talent creates something equally compelling: predictability wrapped in prestige.

Think about it: Scottie Scheffler as world No. 1, defending champion Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay—these aren’t surprise qualifiers. These are the players sponsors want to see, networks want to broadcast, and yes, fans want to watch. There’s logic here, even if it feels like we’re leaving something behind.

“The elite 80-man field is headlined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Rory McIlroy, alongside stars like Jordan Spieth and scoring machine Patrick Cantlay.”

I remember covering tournaments where a Monday qualifier could make the cut and suddenly you’ve got a Cinderella story worth following all week. Those moments seem rarer now. But let’s be honest—the Tour is chasing a different audience than it was 20 years ago. Whether that’s good or bad depends on your perspective, but it’s undeniably the direction.

Two Courses, One Defining Challenge

What hasn’t changed is the raw difficulty of playing Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill back-to-back. These aren’t forgiving venues. The cliffs at Pebble demand respect; the pines at Spyglass demand precision. Having caddied tournaments myself, I can tell you that rotating between these two courses over 72 holes is a mental and physical chess match that no amount of talent alone can overcome.

This is where the “best-on-best atmosphere” actually means something. You’re not going to get lucky at these two courses. You’re going to get found out.

Broadcasting: The Multi-Platform Reality

Now, let’s talk about how you’re actually going to watch this thing, because that’s changed as dramatically as anything else in golf media:

“The Golf Channel will handle the opening rounds on Thursday and Friday before CBS takes over the primary broadcast for the weekend’s high-stakes finishes.”

Here’s what fascinates me: ESPN+ is offering exclusive early starts and Featured Group feeds daily. That’s not just coverage—that’s the Tour acknowledging that different viewers want different things. Some want the full primetime experience on CBS. Others want to customize their experience on ESPN+. And yes, you can still listen on SiriusXM if you’re driving home from work.

This is actually a strength, even if it seems fragmented. The 2026 Pebble Beach Pro-Am is more accessible than ever if you know where to look.

The Bigger Picture

What really matters here isn’t just which channel to turn on or what time to set your alarm. It’s that Pebble Beach—one of the most prestigious events in professional golf—is now the Tour’s flagship Signature Event. That’s intentional positioning. That’s the Tour saying: this is what elite golf looks like.

I think that’s good. I think having a curated field competing for meaningful money on iconic courses is something worth watching. But I also think we should acknowledge what’s being traded away: unpredictability, surprise, those magical moments when an underdog makes his mark.

The 2026 Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be excellent golf. It’ll feature the best players in the world on two of America’s most beautiful courses. And it’ll be televised across enough platforms that almost anyone can find it.

That’s not the game I covered 35 years ago. But it’s the game we have now. And you know what? I’ll be watching.