Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1207269
114 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 replica of Pebble Beach's 7th, playing to the exact same yardage and downhill slope, with the familiar contours of the green framed in the dis- tance by the Pacific Ocean and Point Lobos. Other surprises abound. The old Hay had a sameness to the shots, but Woods has found a new hole as short as 45 yards and a couple of whim- sical green sites with trees that have to be navigated over, under or around. The putting surfaces will ask more interesting questions while still being playable for beginners. The old greens were slow and shaggy, with maintenance an afterthought because Peter Hay was torn up twice a year as a staging ground for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am infrastructure and corporate entertaining during the Concours d'Elegance car show in August. Going forward, Peter Hay will be maintained with the same care as the big course and be off-limits to anything other than golf. It also fig- ures to become a popular gathering spot for both resort guests and locals, with a 16,000 square foot practice green and a new bar and grill that will have an inviting patio with firepits. For Woods, teaming with Pebble Beach is a richly symbolic par tner- ship. The last architect to perform significant work on the big course is the man Woods has always measured himself against, Jack Nicklaus, who in 1999 added the new 5th hole on the cliffs above Stillwater Cove. More recent in-house tweaks—like the restoration and expansion of the Photo: PA Images /Alamy Stock Photo Woods' record-smashing victory at the 2000 U.S. Open—and the wild final round comeback at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am four months earlier—cemented his legacy at Pebble Beach. Photo: JK Multimedia / Shutterstock.com Woods, 44, returned to Pebble for the 2019 U.S. Open still flying high from his win at the Masters, the 15th major championship victory of his legendary career and undoubtedly the most emotional of them all.