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At the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, champion Brandt Snedeker gives a kiss to his trophy on the 18th green, after winning by two strokes. He is ranked the 14th best golfer in the world and lives in Nashville. Photo: Harry How A Real Winner ome of golf 's greatest champions have evoked fearsome pred- ators: a golden bear, a great white shark, a hawk. With his shaggy blonde hair and goofy, excitable demeanor, Brandt Snedeker calls to mind a Labrador puppy. But looks can be deceiving with Snedeker, 33. As he proved during a victory at last year's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Sneds is not afraid to bare his teeth. "I think he fools people with the smiles and waves and all that," said Luke List, one of Snedeker's playing partners at Pebble. "He's a killer." A golfing gentleman by way of Tennessee, Snedeker has long been pop- ular in the locker room, pressroom and caddie yard, but the victory at Pebble was an important part of his evolution into a fearsome competi- tor. It all began in the fall of 2012, when Snedeker won the Tour Championship and corresponding $10 million FedEx Cup bonus. That marked the first time he had successfully converted a 54-hole lead, and he brought the same good form into 2013. Snedeker finished in the top- 3 at three of his four events, but arrived in Pebble starving for a victory. List, a tour rookie, got quite an education watching Snedeker over the first three rounds of the tournament. Asked what he liked most about his playing partner's game, he answered, "I like everything, dude. He's swing- ing at it great, he's very consistent, his misses are manageable, and he's S C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 105 2013 AT&T Pro-Am Champ Brandt Snedeker B Y A L A N S H I P N U C K 104-106 Brant Snedeker_152-161 Garcia story 1/26/14 2:25 PM Page 2