The rumor of Taylor Swift’s presence at the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am flooded the fairways of Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill this week. The buzz was driven by the participation of her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, which led fans to speculate that the pop icon would appear to cheer him on. Now, as the second round of the Pro-Am has finished, PGA Tour pro Keith Mitchell, who was Kelce’s playing partner during the round, has spoken out about the ‘Swift effect’ on the course.
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“It’s always nice having people cheering for you and rooting for you even if it’s just for your group. It just brings the energy up and makes you feel a little bit of juice even if you’re not near the lead,” Mitchell said when asked about the energy on the course.
Travis Kelce was paired with Keith Mitchell (a 10 handicap), playing alongside fellow pro Mackenzie Hughes and retired NFL quarterback Alex Smith. Fans in Chiefs gear, Kelce trading cards, and Swift shirts followed their group from tee to green, hoping for a glimpse and autographs. But some fans attended only because of Taylor Swift.
As one 12-year-old fan named Ava Tuttle acknowledged, she really doesn’t watch football, but attended two Swift concerts, and was only at the course, ‘because of Taylor.’
The Kelce-Mitchell team played solid golf, finishing their pro-am portion at 11-under par, ending at T-35. Additionally, Kelce produced many fond memories, from hitting a fan and later checking on him to missing an eagle so close when the ball refused to go into the cup before his struggle at the par-5 18th hole, when two of his tee shots found water. Mitchell even joked that the tight end was beating him through the first six holes on Thursday. However, all that the fans wanted was a glimpse of the popstar.
As the SanFranciso Chronicle noted, “All week, [tournament director Steve] John has been preoccupied with one question: Will Swift come to the course to watch Kelce play?…. Consider this scene: John stood behind the No 1 tee Friday morning, as Kelce prepared to tee off alongside former teammate Alex Smith and tour pros Mackenzie Hughes and Keith Mitchell. John talked on his cell phone, repeating, “No? Is it ‘no’? Let me know if it changes.”
Tournament officials had even prepared a secure suite for Taylor Swift just in case she decided to show up.
But alas for the Swifties, she didn’t appear at the course. Despite this, the impact of the Taylor Swift rumors was huge.
Tournament Director Steve John reported that more than $60,000 in tickets were sold within the first 12 hours of announcing that Kelce (as there were reports that Taylor Swift was also in the Monterey area this week with Kelce) was in the field. Even more massive was the last-minute surge: roughly $21,000 in tickets for the second round were sold in the 12-hour window between Thursday night and Friday morning(just two hours before Kelce teed off).
That’s why another Tour pro, Mackenzie Hughes, who described himself as ‘a little bit of a Swiftie’ and knows some of her songs, said, “I can only imagine if she was here. It was busy without her, and with her I think it would have been pandemonium. Travis even said it hasn’t always been this way, but his life has changed a bit since they started dating. For him to even say that, that’s pretty telling. He’s already a pretty big star. … But the vibe today was awesome.”
The chance that Taylor Swift would show up at Pebble Beach sent ticket sales rising, but the star wasn’t on site to watch Travis Kelce inside the ropes.
Read more: https://t.co/DCtSPqbRqV pic.twitter.com/6y0chAvZY5
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) February 14, 2026
Kelce and Swift have been dating since the summer of 2023, with their relationship becoming public in September 2023. They are reportedly got engaged on August 26, 2025.
After finishing his round, Travis Kelce politely declined to do any formal interviews with the media. He spent some time chatting and taking photos with CBS announcer Jim Nantz behind the final green instead.
Though Taylor Swift didn’t appear, everyone left the course with great stories. But this isn’t the first time Pebble Beach burst with this kind of story.
The long history of stars at the Pebble Beach
The tournament has a legendary history of high-profile moments that draw massive crowds to the Monterey Peninsula every year. Actor Jack Lemmon famously tried to hit a ball from the edge of a cliff back in 1987. His partners, Clint Eastwood and Greg Norman, actually held onto his belt to keep him from falling over. This crazy stunt became a part of the historic moments at the course.
Bill Murray is another fan favorite who famously won the Pro-Am title with pro partner D.A. Points. He is best remembered for his silly antics, like playfully tossing a woman into a deep sand bunker. More recently, Justin Timberlake grabbed a guitar at Spyglass Hill and sang for the gallery in 2016. He performed his hit song “Drink You Away” right before hitting his tee shot on the 16th hole.
Some twenty years ago, baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. drew massive galleries while playing with the great Tiger Woods. MLB star Roger Clemens also made history here by recording an amazing hole-in-one during his time in the field.
These fun moments help make the Pebble Beach Pro-Am one of the most entertaining events on the Tour.
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