Agostini: Pebble Beach still the place to be

PEBBLE BEACH -- The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am begins anew today with critics questioning its clout and skeptics wondering about its future.

By now, we can recite the check list: Tiger Woods hasn't teed it up here in seven years, the pros whine about the weather, the bumpy greens, the celebrity distractions and the pro-am format that virtually mandates 5½-to-6-hour rounds.

There are even some whispers about shifting the tournament toward warmer temperatures in the fall, though it's hard to envision the majesty of Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill reduced to Fall Series status.

Well, here's our response to all the above: Where's the problem? Who's not having fun, rain or shine, here? Who said this was supposed to be New Orleans, Houston or Colonial?

I mean, Bill Murray hasn't departed. George Lopez still mugs for the camera on each green. Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh -- ranked third, fourth and fifth in the world -- haven't blown off the Monterey Peninsula. Even Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner, will try his luck with partner Davis Love III.

Brad Faxon, who's been chasing the sun on the Tour for more than 20 years, says only snow will keep him away from Pebble Beach. Peter Jacobsen, now a Champions Tour contestant, once said the AT&T was the Tour's most important event because of its annual handshake with Corporate America.

For every naysayer who insists the event has fallen to second-tier status, think again: It remains the "Crosby," though fewer people even remember Bing Crosby, who's been dead now for three decades. He and his pipe may be gone, but the tournament's spirit somehow endures.

It's still about a good time, a few laughs, dodging a few raindrops from time to time and, by the way, a little golf on one of the planet's designated nirvanas come Sunday. Those things never will change.

That said, everything around the AT&T has demanded an adjustment. The tournament, in the age of Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson, used to be a can't-miss. You came to Pebble because you're not a player if you don't.

Granted, that mentality has been modified. Fact is, hardly anything beyond the majors is a can't-miss. The last time Woods' body cooperated, he entered only 18 events in 2007 and 17 in '06. Translation: More than half the tournament directors were throwing themselves over a cliff because they couldn't attracted The Great Man.

This just in: When Woods and his surgically repaired knee returns to the stage in April, he'll still limit his appearances. Which means more tournaments will believe they're a vanishing species, like Greater Hartford and New Coke.

Then there is the AT&T, which has been deemed Tiger-proof. It can outlast anything -- from canceled tournaments (1996) to Woods' injury -- because it's different from the rest.

What it can't avoid are the tough economic times. For-sale signs are popping up on a few of the mansions along 17-Mile Drive. Wednesday's Celebrity Challenge drew a smaller crowd than normal, due in part to the drop-off of 15 to 20 percent in ticket sales, according to tournament boss Ollie Nutt.

The growing anxiety about the economy is hard to miss, especially on a golf circuit that depends on the deep pockets of well-moneyed sponsors. They understand, within the next few years, the financial posture must improve or the Tour will feel the hit like most every household.

Competition-wise, the AT&T has been forced to cope with more choosy players, a dynamic triggered by the existence of more prize money.

"Forty years ago, everybody played here. What happened?" Finchem asked Wednesday. "We just have a lot of good tournaments now. It's not just about the purses. There is so much media attention, with four rounds of television each week."

And about the AT&T's growing reputation as an acquired taste rather than a required destination?

"The reasons is some guys let it (the pro-am format) affect their play," Finchem said. "Some guys love the whole atmosphere and play well with it. If you come every year and do not play well, at any tournament, pretty soon you're wondering why you're here."

I guarantee the following: Modesto's Matt Bettencourt, approaching his fifth Tour event, can't wait for his 8:40 a.m. starting time today off No. 1 at Poppy Hills. For him, it's an opportunity -- to make a name for himself at one of golf's most storied addresses, to bank some coin during the before-Tiger portion of 2009 and, of course, to appear in the tournament he attended as a kid. Better still, 15 members of the tournament's 2,000-strong volunteer force come from Modesto.

Conclusion: The words Pebble Beach still resonate in golfdom.

Bee sports columnist Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.