AT&T National Pro-Am Recap: Snedeker is Back

We had seen it coming back, in retrospect, since last summer. "It" is Brandt Snedeker's golf game.

Snedeker was one of the sport's best putters, the 2012 FedEx champion and, two years ago, ranked No. 4 in the world. But a late-2013 knee injury and a lost swing combined to sidetrack a burgeoning career, pushing him out of the top 50 and an automatic spot in the Masters and other important events.

The knee healthy, the swing found thanks to Butch Harmon, Snedeker is firing on all cylinders once more, evident by a record-setting victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday. Zooming up to No. 31 in the world with the win, Snedeker has earned a berth at Augusta, two other majors and, likely, all the WGCs, beginning with the Cadillac Championship in three weeks.

The 34-year-old Tennessean reached his highpoint in the OWGR by winning at Pebble in 2013, and the rest of the year he continued to excel until a freak Segway accident in China in November, when he strained his left anterior cruciate ligament. Snedeker didn't miss much time, though he clearly was not the same.

In the results column, 2014 appeared to be a lost year, though a look back shows that after Snedeker connected with Harmon in June, signs of his old form were there. There were three top-15s in late summer, one in the WGC-Bridgestone, another in the PGA Championship. And this season, we knew he was back, stringing together three top-10s and four top-25s before Pebble, where he closed with a 5-under 67 to notch a tournament-record 22-under score. He bogeyed one hole all week.

"It gets me back on track to where I feel I belong," an emotional Snedeker told reporters after closing out a three-shot win over Nick Watney.

He's proven he belongs in the majors, with six top-10s since 2008, when he tied for third in the Masters. Sunday's win was the seventh of Snedeker's career and, after the 2012 Tour Championship, perhaps the most important.

At least until he wins a major.

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Nick Watney

It's looking like Watney's game simply may have taken a year off, as he continues to show that a lost 2013-14 is a thing of the past. Sure, Watney had five bogeys in a 10-hole stretch on Sunday to torpedo his chances to chase down Snedeker, but he closed with two birdies to notch his best finish in a year and a half. This was his second top-10 of the young season, and fourth top-25, vaulting him to 17th in the point standings. Chances are, if you drafted Watney, it was at a severely discounted price.

Dustin Johnson

We know Johnson loves this event, with two victories and a runner-up. But this was only his second tournament back after six idle months. So Johnson and his owners must be thrilled with a tie for fourth following last week's missed cut at Torrey Pines, closing with a 66 to motor up the leaderboard. Johnson tees it up again this week in what amounts to a home game at Riviera.

Pat Perez

Perez sits a lofty-for-him 44th in the point standings after tying for fourth at Pebble (and winning the pro-am alongside jewelry maker Michael Lund). The Arizonan traditionally has fared well during the West Coast swing, so his owners shouldn't get too excited just yet. Perez hasn't made it to the third playoff event since 2007. Will this year be different?

Alex Prugh

Who is Alex Prugh, you may have been asking after he tied for 10th at Pebble. He's the guy who tied for fifth at Torrey Pines the week before. So where did this come from? Prugh, 30, made all of four cuts in 16 tries last season, following two seasons on the Web.com Tour. He got his card back via the Web.com Tour Finals. Feeling lucky? Prugh tied for 10th at this week's tour stop, Riviera, back in 2010.

Jim Furyk

The man hates Sundays more than Kanye West hates Grammy winners not named Beyonce. In his 2014-15 debut, Furyk picked up where he left off last season -- blowing 54-hole leads. The third-round leader ballooned to a 74 after a Saturday 63, tying for seventh, six strokes behind Snedeker. If you drafted Furyk, this is what you signed up for. He made his owners a lot of cash last season and looks like that could happen again. Just don't expect a win.

Daniel Berger

The 21-year-old rookie's last five results look like this: T3, cut, T10, T24 and T10 at Pebble. Berger earned his card after finishing 15th on the Web.com Tour money list last season. Somebody likely already has snatched up the Florida State product, but if not, you do it.

Billy Horschel

Opening 68-65, Horschel was primed to break out of his post-FedEx Cup championship funk. But after a weekend 73-72, he's still in it. Horschel wound up T45 and sits 90th in the point standings, with only one top-25 in eight starts. Remember, he did little before his amazing playoff run, which more and more is looking like a complete aberration.

John Daly

It was nice to see all the attention going Daly's way following an opening 65, after which he said it was a long time since he played that well. But the crowd favorite followed that up with a 72-73 for a missed cut. Oh well, he'll always have Thursday.

Ian Poulter

Poulter got an earlier start stateside the last two years, but that hasn't stemmed his sliding ranking. He was 78th in the point standings last year and has dipped outside the top 30 in the OWGR. He did tie for 19th last week at Torrey Pines, but he skidded backward with a missed cut at Pebble. Poulter will skip Riviera as the West Coast swing concludes this week.

Chris Kirk

The co-darling of the playoffs last year, Kirk hasn't slumped as badly as Horschel, but he missed the cut at Pebble, an event at which he finished second to Snedeker in 2013. Kirk has one top 10 this season, all the way back in his first outing, the McGladrey Classic, in October. He hasn't turned in a top-25 in his four 2015 events. He's also skipping Riviera, and probably could use the time away.