California man Geoff Shackelford has been following the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am particularly closely this year.  I think it started when Tim Finchem was announced a player in the field of the pro-am, then his tee times myesteriously were changed so that he and his partner wouldn't appear on TV, and the talk that Tiger Woods was going to be sponsored by AT&T.

Woods has said in the past that he would reconsider playing the Pebble Beach event - where he hasn't been since 2002 - if Poppy Hills was thrown out of the current rotation.  Its five par 5s really slow down play and add to the frustration of 180 amateur teams trodding around three courses for six hour rounds.

Now, with AT&T secured as a Woods sponsor and the 2010 US Open returning to Pebble Beach, Woods will likely play in next year's event.  That said, it may be changed some to be more to his liking.

Doug Ferguson reports on the suggested changes:

One recommendation is to lower the field size to 144 players, which some believe will alleviate the six-hour rounds or at least prevent three groups from stacking up on the par 5s. Poppy Hills, which has five par 5s, takes the longest to play.

The other component is the golf course, and among those mentioned as a replacement for Poppy Hills -- the weak link in the rotation -- is Cypress Point, rated as among the best courses in America.  Cypress was dropped from the rotation in 1991 because of its exclusionary membership policies, which no longer is a problem.

Field size appears to have the most traction, though I think removing Poppy would be the better bet between the two.

The PGA Tour is saying that the Woods/AT&T relationship has nothing to do with the changes, but it is hard to not jump to conclusions.

In the same report, Ferguson also notes that Tiger's Chevron World Challenge has been moved to the first weekend in December per Woods' hope to be in the slot the week after the Skins Game.  Could this signal a return to the Mercedes Benz Championship?