Brandt Snedeker Rises to Four in the World Rankings After Winning at Pebble Beach

Brandt Snedeker (pictured) is now at a career high of number four in the world rankings after winning the AT & T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday afternoon. His final round of 65 meant he was two shots ahead of Chris Kirk at the end of the tournament. Six birdies and an eagle offset just one bogey as Snedeker won for the fifth time on Tour.

Snedeker won his first three tournaments from off the pace, including last year’s Farmers Insurance Open when he came from six back in the final round to beat Kyle Stanley in a play-off. Up until last season Snedeker had wasted several winning opportunities when he was unable to convert leads in the final round to wins.

The Pebble Beach champion proved in last season’s Tour Championship that he can lead from the front. A victory in that event secured the FedEx Cup and 10 million dollar bonus. That huge prize didn’t seem to affect Snedeker too much and he commented there was no point buying a new car when there was a perfectly adequate vehicle in the garage.

Even though the winning margin was just two shots for most of Sunday Snedeker looked in control and comfortable leading the tournament. An eagle on his second hole was an ideal start to his round which included the one blemish on the 9th hole. Joint overnight leader James Hahn played his final round under par but didn’t hole enough putts to stay in contention.

The Pebble Beach event also saw a return to form of Jason Day from Australia. His four rounds under par were good enough for a top 10 finish. Day finished second in two major championships in 2011. He wasn’t able to build on that effort last year when his form dipped due to injury and distractions away from the course.

However, Snedeker was too good for Day and the rest of the field. He had finished second to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the previous two weeks and looked a winner about to happen. Rory McIlroy has a significant lead in the world rankings, but it is feasible that Snedeker could reach the pinnacle of the game this season if he wins a major and several more regular tournaments.