Rob Rashell is playing his first season on the PGA Tour. Throughout his rookie year, Rashell will provide a frequent glimpse of what it's like to break into the Tour.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — I am continually amazed at the price of green fees in some places. My own back yard (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is one of the highest-priced golfing regions in the country.  Being on the PGA Tour I am lucky and thankful that I can play golf at these great places without having to pay for greens fees. Although I always wonder if I had to pay for greens fees, would I play some of the more expensive golf courses in the area or the world? Well, if that golf course was Pebble Beach, I would say yes, without a doubt. 

I’m sure many of you who have played Pebble are shaking your heads up and down with a little smile on your face saying, “Yeah, that place is awesome.”  Honestly, the first time I played the golf course during a practice round on Wednesday I just sat there and watched these monster waves pound the bulkhead on 18. Water is flying up over the bunker into the fairway and you could literally feel the waves hitting the wall. The only comparison I can make is to a car that has huge speakers with lots of bass. You can feel the bass when they drive by, the sound hits you in the gut. My caddie, Shane, is giving me yardages to bunkers and trees and I’m not hearing a thing he’s saying, I keep pointing at the waves and the surroundings with a big grin on my face. 

Rookie on Tour Return to Q-School Family, friends, fun Learning from Tiger Taking time off Practicing patience   Major highs, lows Open a thrill It's the driver Alligator ... yum! Clubs, car ready Raindelay by a nose Alternate anxiety Rain, rain go away Pebble amazing Home, sweet home Pro-Am popular Club changes Happy in Hawaii

My personal opinion is that Pebble Beach has no close second in terms of being the best course I’ve ever played. The scenery is second to none and the golf course is refreshingly different. The holes are routed perfectly with short walks between all of the greens and tees, and weather is the major factor in determining what the scores will be like each day. All I can say is that if you haven’t been, go, the experience is worth every penny.

In addition to Pebble, we also played Spyglass and Poppy Hills to round out the three-course rotation for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The format for the week is a net best ball between each pro and his amateur partner playing each course one time. I again had a rough week and missed the cut with rounds of 72, 75, and 73. I’ve never really been one to make excuses about not playing well so I’m not going to start now. I need to reduce this whole big thing that is the PGA Tour down to the simplest, most straightforward process. For me that process starts with hitting my tee shot off the first hole down the middle of the fairway and going from there.

This week we’re on to Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. One of the greatest parts about playing on the PGA Tour is all of the great golf courses we get to play. I go from the Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach to another one of the best golf courses I’ve ever played. Both Pebble and Rivera are in my top five. The PGA Tour also has a way to cheer you up if you’ve had a couple of tough weeks — more free stuff. I was recently in the locker room and a couple of really nice guys from a major shoemaker were giving out free shoes and workout gear. All I had to do was walk down the hall in the locker room and a guy says, “Excuse me, have you got your shoes yet?” Before I had a chance to say anything they were sitting me down and lacing up shoes and pushing me out the door with a backpack full of new stuff. Thanks guys, that's pretty cool.

Golf is always easier when things are going great, and for that matter, everything else is easier when the golf is going great. I know there are a lot of things to learn out here although I don’t think that is an excuse for not playing well. In the end I just need to go out and put up a good number. Normally the locker room has a nice little cooler full of soft drinks, sports drinks, and water. Somebody must have known I’ve been struggling a bit because they added ice cold Budweiser to the normal spread. Even when things are going bad the PGA Tour is a great place to be.

2005 results     How Rob Rashell stacked up on the PGA Tour this year. He made six of 25 cuts and earned $84,391. — 11/3-11/6: Southern Farm Bureau Classic (70-70-69-69—278, -10, 44th-tie, $9,070) — 9/22-9/25: Texas Open (67-73—140, Even, cut) — 9/15-9/18: 84 Lumber Classic (71-76—147, +3, cut) — 9/8-9/11: Canadian Open (72-73—145, +5, cut) — 9/2-9/5: Deutsche Bank Championship (75-73—148, +6, cut) — 8/25-8/28: Buick Championship (73-69—142, +2, cut) — 8/18-8/21: Reno-Tahoe Open (77-77—154, +10, cut) — 7/21-7/24: U.S. Bank Championship (71-72—143, +3, cut) — 7/14-7/17: B.C. Open (74-70—144, Even, cut) — 7/7-7/10: John Deere Classic (72-72—144, +2, cut) — 6/30-7/3: Western Open (72-72—144, +2, cut) — 6/23-6/26: Barclays Classic (75-73—148, +6, cut) — 6/16-6/19: U.S. Open (74-72-73-74—293, +13, 42th-tie, $26,223) — 5/26-5/29: St. Jude Classic (73-68-69-71—281, +1, 39th-tie, $20,090) — 4/28-5/1: Zurich Classic (74-73—147, +3, cut) — 4/21-24: Houston Open (78-73—151, +7, cut) — 3/31-4/3: BellSouth Classic (79-73—152, +8, cut) — 3/10-3/13: Honda Classic (73-68-76-70—287, -1, 58th-tie, $12,100) — 2/24-2/27: Chrysler Classic (71-68-71-75—285, -3, 64th-tie, $6,300) — 2/17-2/20: Nissan Open (73-72—145, +3, cut) — 2/10-2/13: Pebble Beach Pro-Am (72-75-73—220, +4, cut) — 2/3-2/6: FBR Open (77-74—151, +9, cut) — 1/26-1/30: Bob Hope Classic (66-76-73-72—287, -1, cut) — 1/20-1/23: Buick Invitational (73-72—145, +1, cut) — 1/13-1/16: Sony Open (73-67-74-69—283, +3, 56th-tie, $10,608)

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