The magic of Pebble Beach: Lesser game, higher profile

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The celebrities might be the main attraction this week, but they respect that they're on the pros' stage.

Feb. 14, 2009
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Earlier this week, Tom Lehman was in The Tap Room at the Lodge at Pebble Beach when he spotted actor Luke Wilson. Having enjoyed Wilson's movies, Lehman walked over to meet the star of "Old School."

But just as the former U.S. Ryder Cup Captain started to introduce himself, Wilson cut him off.

"I know who you are," Wilson said. "I'm a big fan of yours."

Responded Lehman: "Wow, that's cool. I'm a big fan of yours too."

And that's how it goes at The Tap Room. Everybody not only knows your name, they also know you're somebody famous.

The magical -- and somewhat surreal -- mix of golf's biggest names and the biggest golfing celebrities gives the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am perhaps the most unique flavor on the PGA TOUR. In Saturday's third round, it will be a major storyline on CBS, since many of the A-list celebrities will be at Pebble Beach -- the third and final course of their rotation this week.

That means you can expect a heavy dose of Wilson, Justin Timberlake, Bill Murray, Ray Romano, Huey Lewis, Andy Garcia, George Lopez et al. And in the galleries, the focus will be on watching and interacting with the big-name entertainers as much as on the players who are actually competing for the tournament championship.

"They say half the people come out to see the celebrities and half the people come out to see the real golfers," said singer Michael Bolton, who played Pebble Beach on Friday and will be at Spyglass Hill today.

As a general rule, it's pretty easy to tell the difference. The real golfers are the guys with the serious looks on their faces and the seemingly lack of flaws to their games. Meanwhile, the celebrities -- at least some of them -- are yukking it up with the adoring fans and mucking it up whenever they swing a club.

And yet, it's a mix that works. The celebrities feel the privilege of sharing a stage with the game's top pros at one of the game's top venues. And the golfers don't mind the interesting diversions and conversations that come from rubbing elbows with the stars.

"You have guys here who you've always dreamed about meeting or being," Lehman said. "Who wouldn't want to be some famous actor? So when you actually meet them and realize they're people just like everybody else and that they can't hit the golf ball 150 yards, it's actually enjoyable.

"It's like a mutual admiration society out there."

Actually, if you talk to some of the celebrities, it sounds like the admiration may be a bit one-sided. After all, they're on the pros' turf, doing -- or at least trying to do -- what the pros do. Getting an inside-the-ropes seat, they see how easy the pros make the game look.

"They're not just super-talented people," Bolton said. "They're super-talented people who took the natural gift they have and put it to work. They knew they had something and made the commitment to be the best they can be. Even in the arts, you really respect that."

Of course, having celebrities in the field does provide some interesting sideshows. Many of them can't help but play to the crowds. After all, that's what they are. Entertainers.

Bill Murray, who is back in the tournament this week after missing last year's event, is the biggest draw, essentially bringing his Caddyshack role to life. He leaves a trail of grins and smiles for the six hours he's out there each day. In his own unique way, Murray is helping to grow the game.

Of course, that approach is not for everyone, especially the serious celebrity golfers like Bolton and musician Kenny G, the latter a scratch handicapper and former team winner (with Phil Mickelson as his partner) at Pebble Beach.

Kenny G, in fact, is so intent on improving his game that he takes a practice net into his recording studio in order to be chip in between sessions. Golf, to him, is not just another stage. He respects it too much.

"I see what most of the entertainers do," he said. "They try to make jokes to the crowd before they hit their shot because they want to make themselves feel comfortable. I can read right through that. I don't like that. I never liked it when the entertainer plays up to the crowd before the shot. Just hit the shot, then talk to the crowd after -- that's what I like to do."

In many of the pro-celebrity pairings, it's the celebrities who are more famous than the pros and who have more "star-power," even at a golf tournament. The golf fans at Pebble will know who Tim Herron is today, but everyone will know his amateur partner, Murray.

Even as well-known as Presidents Cup Captain Fred Couples is at Pebble, his recognition factor probably isn't as high as amateur partner Timberlake's.

For the celebrities, it's a weird place to be, being the lesser golfer with the higher profile. Bolton recalled the time a few years ago when he was in a Sunday foursome at Pebble with actor Kevin Costner. Bolton's pro partner was Tim Clark, who remains one of the top players yet to win a TOUR event.

Bolton knew that he and Costner were getting the most stares. But he also knew that Clark didn't care.

"He wasn't looking to make fans," Bolton said. "He was looking to make birdies."