It’s a big week on the PGA Tour calendar. The first Signature event of the season, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, will be held in California this weekend. And Rory McIlroy is set to start his 2026 season on the PGA Tour as the defending champion. This $20 million event has seen many exciting moments over the years, and before the 2026 edition, let us revisit some to build anticipation.

Tiger Woods’s roaring comeback in 2000

Vijay Singh and Matt Gogel were the favorites to win the 2000 edition after 54 holes. Having finished as the runner-up in 1997, Tiger Woods was nowhere near the top of the leaderboard going into Championship Sunday. But he pulled off a miracle in the last 18 holes that no one ever imagined from him.

“Tiger did everything he could humanly do, which sometimes doesn’t seem very human-like,” said Jim Nantz, according to an article on the PGA Tour website.

He shot an 8-under par in the final round, while Singh and Gogel scored -2 and -1, respectively. In the end, the 82-time PGA Tour champion finished the tournament 2 strokes ahead of his rivals and lifted his first and only AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. His incredible comeback became the headline of the event that year.

Phil Mickelson becomes the oldest champion at Pebble Beach

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Unlike his fiercest rival, Phil Mickelson had a lot of success at Pebble Beach. He has won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am five times in his career. Lefty also managed to capture the title before Woods got his hands on it in 1998. However, his last win at the venue was probably the most memorable one.

Mickelson was over 48 years old when he took on the challenge at Pebble Beach for the 24th time in his career. He had already won the title four times in his career. But the golf legend still had a record to match that of Mark O’Meara, who had won it five times.

Lefty managed to achieve the same feat in the end. Facing Max Homa, Patrick Reed, and Jordan Spieth, Mickelson won the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. And he did so comfortably with a three-stroke lead against the field. With that, he became the oldest player to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Ricocheted into the victory for Hale Irwin

Playing the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, Hale Irwin’s approach shot didn’t look like it was heading in a great direction. In fact, he was praying that it wouldn’t drop in the water. Because considering the trajectory of the ball, it seemed like that’s where it was heading. Well, almost!

The ball hit the rock formation just before the waves of the North Pacific Ocean at the perfect angle. It bounced off it and jumped back onto the short grass to give the three-time major winner the perfect advantage. From praying he doesn’t lose the ball to getting in the perfect position to win the tournament, Irwin was truly blessed at Pebble Beach that day. He ended up winning the 1984 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am in the playoffs against Jim Nelford.

The battle of the big guns

The 1994 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was one of the closest-fought contests between some of the biggest names in the sport. Second place was tied between four players, which included Tom Watson. The golf legend had gone toe-to-toe with another popular player, Johnny Miller.

Things went down to the wire between the two until the very last hole. However, Watson and Miller switched positions after the former committed an error on the 18th hole and the latter hit a clutch birdie to seal the deal. In the end, Miller won the tournament by one stroke, while his rival ended tied in second, one stroke behind.

Earning the crown of the ‘Prince of Pebble’

Not many can claim that they have dominated Pebble Beach more than Phil Mickelson. But even Lefty was chasing the record set by Mark O’Meara a year before he won his first title.

That’s right, even before Mickelson won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time, O’Meara had already won the tournament five times in his career. He achieved the feat in 1997. Ironically, the golf legend had to overcome the threat from Mickelson’s biggest rival, Tiger Woods, to achieve the feat.

The 15-time major winner finished the tournament at 19-under par, one stroke behind O’Meara. With five titles to his name at Pebble Beach, he rightfully earned the crown of the ‘Prince of Pebble’.

Now, for 2026, do you think Rory McIlroy would be able to defend his title?