2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Why Is Cypress Tree on 18th Green Important?

The second signature event of the PGA Tour is delivering as expected! With a purse of $20 million and 700 FedExCup points up for grabs, the 80-player field is putting its heart and soul into it. And there is no doubt the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am event is iconic in its own right.

The PGAT event has time and again tested the golfers with its severe weather conditions. The uncomfortable weather has become a trademark of the event. However, there is another trademark for the event and the iconic golf course, which resides on the 18th green.

The tree that guards 18th Green at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

As players make their way up the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links, they are greeted by the sight of a 67-foot Monterey cypress pine tree. The tree has been guarding the spot since 1918 and carries an interesting piece of history with it.

Back in 2001, the tree succumbed to disease and hence, the thoughts of cutting it down came into place. But by then, the tree had become a highlight of the golf course.

The then-director of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, RJ Harper, said, “During the AT&T Pro-Am, it was obvious that the tree played a crucial role in the strategy of the hole. Without the limbs hanging near the green, a player could just approach the hole from the right side and not worry about the bunkers and ocean on the left. The hole played about a stroke easier.”

With this revelation began the journey to find a replacement for that tree. After a year-long search, the officials decided on a cypress that bordered the first hole. But moving the tree to the 18th green was a daunting challenge.

How did the tree reach the 18th green?

To accomplish this behemoth task, Harper brought in Environmental Design, a large tree specialist company based in Houston. They developed a plan to uproot, transplant, and replace the tree while still keeping it alive so that it remains during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

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About four months before the move, a team dug the tree up to prune the roots. Then, two months before the move, a layer of burlap and wire mesh was applied to protect the roots. Finally, the tree was loaded on a steel bed onto an 80-wheel self-leveling trailer.

But the ordeal was far from over, as hauling the 465,000-pound tree across a plywood roadway took over five hours to complete. At the 18th green, a team created a way from the trailer to drive down into the ground. This was done so that the tree would sit at the proper elevation and could be easily planted.

But after all this hardship, the tree is now calmly residing on the 18th green. And it plays a vital role in the strategy of players competing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

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