A pretty strong line of storms made their way through the west coast this weekend, making it a less-than-ideal time to play one of the nation’s greatest courses.
Videos have circulated on social media of just horrendous conditions at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, where tee times normally run nearly $600 or more.
Yet several warriors braved the rain and 40-50 mph winds to play the Monterey Peninsula gem, and at least one was rewarded with potentially the shot of a lifetime.
Normally, it would be pretty rare for us to write about a player hitting a driver on a par-3, much less hitting a driver on a roughly 100-yard par-3 like the 7th at Pebble. However, the 7th had more teeth than usual this weekend.
Instagram user Michael Knoll captured this video of someone taking driver on the iconic par-3, which is more used to receiving wedges into the tiny green which juts out into the Pacific Ocean. Yet with the wind and a launch that only looked a few feet off the ground, the ball flew just past and left of the pin and even spun back a tad to within a couple feet.
We don’t see the birdie attempt in the video, but we can only hope he converted the look, despite the blustery conditions.
It’s been a fall of memorable shots for golfers in the Pebble Beach area. Already, two holes-in-one have been documented in back-to-back weeks from the back tee of the par-3 16th at nearby Cypress Point. Of course, those came with sunny skies and just the normal winds that accompany seaside golf.
We’ve seen mid- and maybe even long irons on No. 7 at Pebble in brutal conditions during U.S. Opens, but no club — or weather! — quite like this.
