Pebble Power Rankings: Dustin Johnson Aims for Hat Trick

February 10 2011 Last updated at 01:00 PM ET

The Tour heads back to California for one of the most scenic stops all year at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Players will be competing on three courses, all of which measure less than 7,000 yards and demand accuracy and a solid short game. Tiger Woods might be on the other side of the world this week, but the field in Northern California doesn't lack star power.

Favorites

Dustin Johnson -- After back-to-back top 10s to open the year, Johnson (pictured) might have made it three straight had the weather in Scottsdale not caused delays everyday. Less than 30 minutes after his opening-round 64, he was back on the tee for round two and shot nine strokes worse. The two-time defending champ at this event was a disastrous final round away from winning the U.S. Open here last summer.

Vijay Singh -- Don't look now, but the Big Fijian looks to be regaining his form. Winless since 2008, Singh has improved each week and earned his first top three finish in three years, which is pretty unbelievable. The 2004 winner here also has three runner-up finishes at the AT&T

Mark Wilson -- Winner in two of his three starts this season, Wilson's game is primed for the trip to Pebble Beach. He sits top 5 on Tour in greens in regulation, scrambling, and scoring, and his consistency will benefit him this week. While his past results here aren't spectacular, the FedEx Cup points leader hasn't missed the cut at the AT&T since 2003.

Jim Furyk -- Last season's FedEx Cup winner took a month off since missing the cut at the Sony Open. He also took a month break after playing both tournaments on the islands to open 2007, returning to the AT&T and finishing T6. Maybe that trend could be a bit of a stretch, but there's no doubt Furyk enjoys Pebble Beach ? he hasn't finished outside of the top 40 since 1999.

J.B. Holmes -- The two-time Tour winner nearly added number three at the AT&T a year ago. Holmes finished one stoke behind Dustin Johnson in a tie for 2nd and hasn't missed the cut in four starts at this tournament. One of the longest hitters on tour, he also sits sixth in birdie average after a T5 at the WMPO.

Contenders

Tim Clark -- The South African's game should thrive at a tournament that puts a premium on accuracy and iron play rather than length off the tee. He placed T10 at the AT&T and T12 at the U.S. Open a year ago so he should feel pretty comfortable heading back to California. This will be his first event since playing in the two Hawaiian tournaments, where he finished T17 and T2.

Brandt Snedeker -- The Nashville native has an attractive combination of playing well coupled with a good history at Pebble Beach. He has top 10 finishes in his last two starts and is yet to shoot above 70 in 12 rounds this year. Snedeker was one of just a handful of players to shoot a weekend round in the 60s at the U.S. Open, where he finished T8.

Brendon de Jonge -- He's ranked 11th all-around on Tour, which indicates how complete De Jonge's game has become. At the U.S. Open last June, he sat atop the leaderboard after the first round so he can be successful here. The 2008 Nationwide Player of the Year has found his comfort zone on the PGA. He's only missed one cut since last May while compiling two top 3s.

Gary Woodland -- The expectations might not have been high for the 26-year-old this year after an injury-plagued rookie year in 2009 didn't even include a top 25 in 18 starts. He appears to have put his struggles behind him. He's top 25 on Tour in driving distance and greens in regulation with a runner-up finish and another top 10.

Alex Cejka -- The German has missed two cuts since a T13 at the Bob Hope last month, but one look at last year will ease your mind. He tied for 10th at the AT&T following three straight MCs and backed up that performance with a tie for 8th at the U.S. Open four months later.

Surprise Stinker

Hunter Mahan -- This could be a risky pick but take a look at his last four tournaments at this course. During that time, he only broke 70 once in 12 rounds. While his recent form has been strong, it's too hard to ignore his track record at Pebble Beach.

Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2011/02/10/pebble-power-rankings-dustin-johnson-aims-for-hat-trick/

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