Woods, Murray back for another round at Pebble Beach

Tiger Woods is back at Pebble Beach and so is the champion.

The champion? That would be Bill Murray.

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am gears for one of its most memorable tournaments — starting Thursday — with the return of Woods after a 10-year hiatus. You might remember why he left — bumpy greens, 6-hour rounds with amateurs, too many cameras, etc.

Well, things have changed since his golf career and personal life careened downhill on that Thanks-giving night in 2009. He hasn't won a major in nearly four years (he's stuck at 14) and his quest to reach and surpass Jack Nicklaus' 18 major championships, at one point a virtual certainty, has downsized to a question mark. His last win on the PGA Tour was in September of 2009.

But a funny thing happened while Woods drifted away from the AT&T — it marched forward, thank you, with its celebrity-laced fun and spectacular setting along the ocean cliffs.

Murray, who's been entertaining galleries along 17-mile Drive since 1992, returns as arguably the most celebrated pro-am champion in the event's 65-year history. He helped D.A. Points, the overall champion, by 20 strokes and proved what many knew all along: When he's not sitting on women's laps or leading cheers on the green, he can golf his ball.

His hijinx was toned down while Points campaigned toward the title during the final round last year, at least until their awkward chest-bump after Points slam-dunked a 100-yard gap wedge for eagle at Pebble Beach's 14th. Murray and Points became only the 13th pair to sweep both the pro and the pro-am standings.

The AT&T no doubt is delighted that its old 1-2 ticket-selling punch, Woods and Murray, again grace its unique stage.

Woods, 36, finally is bouncing back to form. Two weeks ago at Abu Dhabi, he looked like the old Tiger for three rounds and nearly claimed his 98th world-wide victory. A so-so final round of 72, after he hit only two fairways and six of 18 greens the final day, cost him a third-place finish behind winner Robert Rock of England.

It's doubtful he will ever dominate the game like he did a decade ago. Back then, he held major advantages in driving distance, putting mastery and downright intimidation. He knew he would win, and so did the field. Those days, however, are history.

That said, don't be surprised if there's another act waiting to be played in Tiger's drama. He's a chastened man these days, hardly the superman that marketers pushed forward, and the public will forgive if not necessarily forget.

Woods is more motivated today than recent years, and this may best explain why he's revisiting Pebble, one of his old haunts. In 2000 at Pebble, he rallied from seven strokes behind to win the AT&T, and four months later lapped the U.S. Open field by 15 strokes in one of the most astounding performances in the game's history.

He'll team up this week with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, a scratch player, and big crowds surely will follow. Since Woods last appeared in the AT&T, the field has been trimmed and Poppy Hills has been replaced by the impressively remodeled Shore course at Monterey Peninsula CC. How he maneuvers his ball around the Shore track and its slick greens is one of the week's story lines.

Elsewhere, the field is spiced by football coaches Jim Harbaugh and Bill Belichick, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and entertainers George Lopez and Chris O'Donnell. Beyer High graduate Matt Bettencourt, who placed 13th in the 2011 pro-am with Giants pitcher Matt Cain, also has entered. Mitch Lowe, who still teaches part-time at Del Rio Country Club, makes another AT&T appearance after his continuing good play at NorCal PGA events.

But the AT&T turns back the clock this weekend with Woods and Murray, an odd couple that's hard to beat along Carmel Bay.

THE SHAG BAG — Greg Jalli, a student at Prescott Junior High, defeated Enochs High's Timothy Yang 2 and 1 on the 26th hole to win the 16th River Oaks Junior Match Play Championship. Turlock's Taylor Beckwith finished third in the event which featured more than 300 in the field, with 48 reaching the final stage. ... Coming up: The Modesto Junior College Pirate Football Tournament, a benefit for MJC football, to be held Friday, March 30, at Manteca Park. Contact Paul Assad at www.kickdoctor@gmail.com. ...

MJC sophomores Erica Ballard and Kaylee Joaquin, who anchored the Pirates' rally to a second-place finish last fall at the Northern California Championships, will continue their collegiate careers at Cal State East Bay in Hayward.

HOLES-IN-ONE — Amos Chrisco, Modesto, 178-yard ninth at Dryden Park, 4-hybrid. ... Terry Gowans, Modesto, 110-yard third at River Oaks, Ceres, pitching wedge. ... Adam Brower, Turlock, 128-yard first at River Oaks, pitching wedge. ... Mirl Morse, Ceres, 103-yard seventh at River Oaks, pitching wedge. ... Wayne Junso, Modesto, 132-yard 11th at Jack Tone Golf, Ripon, 8-iron. ... Jerry Emery, 105-yard sixth at Jack Tone, pitching wedge. ... Tim Doyle, Sonora, 150-yard seventh at Mountain Springs, Sonora, 6-iron. ... Bob Aronson, Oakdale, 165-yard 12th at Oakdale CC, 6-iron. ... Ray Wilkins, Oakdale, 136-yard 16th at Oakdale, 7-iron.

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or (209) 578-2302.