Pebble Beach Finale to Be an August Occasion

They’re still picking up the pieces . . . and the driftwood and the seaweed and the downed branches at Pebble Beach, where the world’s wettest and most unfinished golf tournament got a new completion date Thursday.

Would you believe Aug. 17?

Weather permitting (as usual), last week’s AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am will finally and thankfully end the Monday after the PGA Championship, when the final 18 holes are supposed to be played.

At least that’s the latest estimate from the PGA Tour, which tried to end it Monday and got rained out, then came up with the idea of ending it March 2 after the Nissan Open, but feared it would get rained out again.

Apparently, there was only one option remaining.

On to August!

The PGA Tour was going to charter an airplane from Los Angeles to take the players to Monterey to finish Pebble after the Nissan Open at Valencia. Just how the players are expected to get to Pebble Beach now from Redmond, Wash., just outside Seattle is unclear. If the rainy weather continues, maybe they can just float down on one of the ferries.

Tom Watson and Tim Herron are tied for the lead after 36 holes in the AT&T;, which began Jan. 26. If everything goes as planned, which never can be taken for granted in this tournament, the AT&T; will take its place as the longest tournament in PGA Tour history from start to finish--6 1/2 months.