World No. 1 and tournament favorite Dustin Johnson withdrew from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am on Monday evening. There was no immediate reason cited by Johnson or the event for his decision.
On Sunday Johnson won the European Tour’s Saudi International by two strokes. It was Johnson’s fifth victory in his last 13 starts, highlighted by his triumph at Augusta National, and his seventh top-two finish in his last nine outings. Johnson’s recent dominance has given him a commanding position in the Official World Golf Ranking, with our Ryan Herrington noting Tyrrell Hatton, ranked No. 5 in the OWGR, is equidistant from Johnson in points as he is Tyler Duncan, ranked No. 162 in the global system.
That dominance was expected to continue at Pebble. The two-time major winner has eight top 10s in 13 appearances at the AT&T Pro-Am, including two victories, two runner-ups and a bronze medal. He also held a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, although ultimately finished in a tie for eighth.
With Johnson’s WD, Jonathan Byrd is now in the field. Sangmoon Bae is the first alternate.
This year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is being conducted without its traditional amateur component due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Without the am pairings, the tournament will competed on just two courses rather than its historical three-venue rotation. Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill will serve as hosts, with Monterey Peninsula Country Club sidelined for this year’s event.