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PEBBLE BEACH — Aaron Rodgers sank his first putt, hoisted a crystal trophy an hour later and walked off the Pebble Beach putting green with the other half of sports’ hottest celebrity couple, race-car driver Danica Patrick.
Oh, and it all took place under sunny, blue skies with temperatures near 80. Not a bad start to a promising week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
”I love Northern California,” Rodgers said after winning the Chevron Shoot Out. “When the weather’s like this, man, I’ll come back every year.”
Speaking of comebacks, the former Cal quarterback looks recovered from last season’s collarbone fracture and will take high hopes into his 14th season with the Packers. He told the team’s website last week he’s looking to reclaim his MVP form in 2018.
Unlike Saturday’s “NFL Honors” show in chilly Minnesota, Rodgers did show up Tuesday with Patrick, who politely declined reporters’ interview requests while watching the hour-long Shoot Out.
As for Rodgers’ seventh trip to the AT&T Pro-Am, he considers himself fortunate to be among the amateurs who can get humbled here amid the pros.
”They like to watch us duff it, shank it and hit it in the woods as they’re down the middle, just to reinforce how difficult their job is,” Rodgers said. “The consistency is so impressive.”
Rodgers and pro partner Vaughn Taylor fared best in Tuesday’s Shoot Out, raising funds for their respective charities — the MACC Fund and Safe Homes Augusta. Rodgers was the only competitor to sink his first putt on the opening hole that required vision-impairing goggles.
Other celebrities included Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander and former 49ers lineman Harris Barton.
— Dustin Johnson, the world’s top-ranked golfer, took part in the Shoot Out as he hunts for a fourth win in this tournament. “I love it here. It’s one of my favorite places to play golf,” Johnson said.
He’ll be playing again with his father-in-law: hockey great Wayne Gretzky. “We have a lot of fun when we golf, and we’ll try to do that this week. That’s what golf is all about: enjoying it. And what better office to have than this?”
— Verlander is already gearing up for the Astros’ world championship defense. “We’re a week away from spring (training) so I’m getting ready, getting my arm prepared and doing everything I need to do,” said Verlander, noting how his “whirlwind” offseason included getting married to model and actress Kate Upton.
