Wyndham Clark (-17) is the third round leader after shooting the lowest tournament score ever Saturday at Pebble Beach. The 2023 U.S. Open champion shot a 12-under par 60 after just missing a 26-foot putt on hole No. 18 which would have been his third eagle of the day. But Clark, Ludvig Aberg (-16) and last week’s Farmers Insurance Open winner Matthieu Pavon (-15) may not tee-it-up in the final group Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as weather is threatening to wash away the rest of the tournament.
Last year’s weather forced a Monday finish at Pebble Beach, and now tournament officials are scrambling to get the final round complete.
“Our regulations say we need to make every effort to play 72 holes, which includes playing on Monday,” PGA Tour Chief Referee Gary Young said Saturday night.
For the safety of patrons, no spectators will be allowed on property for the final round if it is played on Sunday.
Players will be notied by PGA Tour rules officials at 5:15 a.m. PT Sunday on whether they will tee off as scheduled, or likely be hit with a delay with tee-times starting in the afternoon.
For the final round to be completed at all, it must start before Monday at 10:15 a.m. If that timeline cannot be met, then the tournament is most likely shortened to 54 holes with Clark declared the winner rather than playing Tuesday.
But finishing the tournament on Monday is about as likely as Clark shooting 63 or 64. The National Weather Service has issued a weather warning with up to 4.5 inches of rainfall for Pebble Beach through Monday. That includes a flood watch into Monday morning and winds speeds near 40 mph and gusts reaching 60 mph on Sunday. Monday’s forecast is up to an 80% chance of rain and winds greater than 20 mph.
PGA Tour’s plan for final round at Pebble Beach
The PGA Tour tournament at Pebble Beach has been shorted to 54 holes six times since 1974 including Dustin Johnson’s win most recently in 2009.
Clark was rolling in long putts on the front nine Saturday including 38 and 42-foot putts for eagle on the Par 5’s at holes 2 and 6. He added four more birdies to go out in 28 including three straight on 7-8-9 with 24 and 30 foot putts and two more birdies on holes 10 and 11.
Clark’s aggressive mindset was in play from the start of Round 3.
“I definitely thought about it last night and this morning,” Clark said when asked post-round about the potential for a weather delay. “I wasn’t counting on it, but I took the mentality of going for broke.”
Clark met a new putting coach early this week, and switched from a conventional putting stroke to cross-handed. He tested nine putters and changed to no line (alignment aid) on the putter, and a little shorter flat stick.
With slower, sloping and bumpier Poa annua greens at Pebble Beach, it’s even more astounding that Clark had a record-setting day with putting lead the way.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a better putting round,” Clark added in his post press conference.
Betting Odds and Rules
Betting on golf offers many ways to win at the leading online sportsbooks. Popular outright winner bets draw interest, but are most difficult to project. The opening four tournament winners on the PGA Tour in 2024 have all won at odds of 180/1 or greater. Tournament matchups and round-by-round player matches, finishing position, live betting and other prop bets draw more interest with odds to win changing on players during and after each round. This year’s event at Pebble Beach has seen an emormous swing in betting odds for Wyndham Clark with his record round score of 60 Saturday.
Clark was +7000, or 70/1 to win the tournament ahead of Thursday’s opening round. When he teed off Saturday sitting at -5 under par, his odds were +30000 to win. In one round, Clark has gone from 300/1 to 2/1 to win.
As posted at sports betting news site The Lines, here are some of the top sportsbooks house rules when betting on golf and the PGA Tour. Rules can vary, and bettors should check house rules and states for all bets and those made prior to and during the tournament.
Most sportsbooks require 36 holes be played. But postponement can alter rules, for example, completed within 7 days or bets are void, or completed at a later date with bets staying active until final round is completed.
FanDuel states that an official winner must be declared. If a tournament is shortened and FanDuel Sportsbook settles the tournament markets then all bets matched after the last completed round will be void. In the event of a postponed event, bets will stand provided the tournament takes place in the same calendar year. Other prop bets and settlement are listed in house rules.
DraftKings rules state that final tournament standings after Round 3 will stand should Round 4 be canceled. This applies to tournament winner and placement, with futures tickets being chopped should there be a tie after the last-played round. Matchup bets will be void should a round be canceled.
Should officials call off the final round, then the standings after Saturday’s round will be the final standings. According to BetMGM, “all bets other than those placed after the last completed round will stand provided at least 36 holes have been played.” They also state that a trophy must be presented. The chance of a trophy not being awarded to the leader after three rounds is next to none, but that’s worth noting.
Caesars Sportsbook
Any bets placed after the final shot of the last-completed round will be void. Should the final standings from Round 3 continue to be tied, dead-heat rules apply and winnings will be chopped. Player tournament matchup bets, though, will be void.
Wyndham Clark is the clubhouse leader through 3 rounds, and if 18 more holes are unable to be completed, he’ll be declared the 54 hole winner and earn a whopping $3.6 million from the $20 million prize pool as the second Signature Event of the PGA Tour season.
I placed some bets on Clark to win before Aberg finished his last two holes Saturday. I’m counting on a rainout and cancellation to cash-in on Clark at nearly 2/1 odds.
More information you can bet on from Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII along with next week’s PGA Tour WM Phoenix Open.
You can bet on it.