PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -Tommy Armour III will seek his third straight Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational title against a diverse field from the four major professional tours beginning Thursday.
Players from the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour as well as mini-tour players and club pros will compete in the 72-hole event, now in its 38th year. The first three rounds of the $300,000 event will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Del Monte Golf Course.
Armour made a 36-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a three-way playoff with Scott Simpson and Brock MacKenzie to win the 2008 event after losing a five-stroke lead and finishing regulation play at Pebble Beach with a 4-over 76.
Armour, whose 34-under while winning the 2003 Texas Open is the lowest 72-hole total in PGA Tour history, won his first two Pebble Beach Invitational titles while playing from PGA Tour tees.
This year, Armour, who turned 50 in October, will play with a tee advantage given to players based on their tours' average driving distances.
George McNeill, who had two runner-up finishes this season and finished 57th on the money list, is the highest of the field's 12 PGA Tour players entered from the top 125 on the 2009 final money list.
The PGA Tour field also includes Rocco Mediate, runner-up in the 2008 U.S Open, former PGA Championship winner Rich Beem and former PGA Tour winners Daniel Chopra, Kevin Sutherland, Andrew Magee, Mark Brooks, Steve Flesch, JJ Henry, Cameron Beckman, Billy Mayfair, Notah Begay III, Marc Turnesa and Matt Gogel.
John Cook, who won twice this season and finished third on the money list, heads the field of 11 Champions Tour entrants that also includes Simpson.
The inaugural LPGA Championship in Houston, Texas, is also scheduled this week, reducing the Pebble Beach Invitational women's field to four players.
Armour ended a four-year winless streak with his Callaway victory in 2007 and he became the tournament's first repeat winner last year following his career-best PGA Tour season.
Armour had five top-10 finishes, placed 62nd on the money list and surpassed $1 million in season earnings for the first time in his career. But Armour struggled throughout the 2009 season. He had only one top 10 finish in 19 tournaments and fell to 140th on the money list.
Following the 54-hole cut, the top 40 pros and 10 amateur teams will play the final round Sunday at Pebble Beach. The winner will earn $60,000.
