Tom Hoge Wins A T & T Pebble Beach Pro - Am
When I wrote the blog entitled “Tom Hoge, Ready To Win On the PGA Tour”, I had no idea he would do just that two weeks after the post or even finish second the week of the post. Unlike some have speculated, I can’t see into the future. I could, however, see the past. With Tom’s ascent up the Fed Ex Cup points list in recent years and wonderful play in the PGA Tour Fall Series starting the 2022 season, the writing was on the wall or, shall we say, on the scoreboard. Tom was going to win for the first time.
With his second place finish at The American Express in Palm Springs in January and the win at the prestigious 2022 A T & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks later, he vaulted up the Fed Ex points list to number two and number 39 in the World Golf Rankings. He earned nearly $2,400,000 with the two finishes.
“Winning is such a weird, hard thing to do,” Tom told me. “I played really good golf all 72 holes in Palm Springs, didn’t putt great, but decent, and finished second. I felt like I did almost everything right.”
When we talked earlier in the year he told me he did not like to set winning as a goal because, “You can play great and have someone play just a little better.” And that’s what happened at The American Express in Palm Springs. Hudson Swafford shot 64 in the final round and beat Tom by one shot. “My goal is to put four good rounds together.”
“At the A T &T I felt like I had way too many mistakes between Friday’s front nine (at Monterey Peninsula Golf Course) and holes one thru eight on Sunday at Pebble Beach; but I looked up and I was right in the mix.”
Unlike Palm Springs, while Tom was making “way too many mistakes” the field did not move away from him with others making birdie after birdie.
His front nine on Friday, following a near course record 63 on Thursday’s first round, included a double bogey and two bogies. Holes one through eight on Sunday had another double bogie and bogie.
“(My) game did not feel nearly as good as Palm Springs but some breaks went my way and I played great down the stretch when I needed to,” Tom said.
The great play was a score of 32 on the final nine holes with birdies at 10, 14, 16 and 17.
“I really wasn’t nervous at all until I ran my first putt by (on #18) about four feet and walked down to see Beau Hossler in the middle of the fairway only two shots back. That’s when things got a little nervy, but I was able to sneak that putt in the left side of the hole.”
“Taking both weeks, it’s funny how I won at Pebble and not Palm Springs. Crazy game.”
Tom’s friend and agent, Jim Lehman, commented, “Tom has no fear when the heat of the event is on. He has the rare talent to have emotional calm when fellow competitors are coming apart. He can “go low” on Sunday.”
It was exciting to watch Tom make great putt after great putt to win the A T & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I am now going to make another prognostication. Tom Hoge will win several more times in his career in A Life In Golf.
