For amateurs, Pebble proves to be a major pain in the grass

Four golfers has a quest today at Pebble Beach Golf Links. A quest to look good on camera, hit some solid shots and, perhaps the main objective, break 100.

Yes, today was the day that Golf Digest's U.S. Open Challenge teed off, as elected winner Peggy Ference of New Jersey took to the course with three big names and some big goals in mind. Wayne Gretzky (Sherwood CC member), Mark Wahlberg (Wilshire CC member) and Drew Brees (not a SoCal guy but a Super Bowl MVP and nice to look at) joined Ference in the U.S. Open conditions, back tees and all.

Even more fun? The celebrity caddies each player had. Rickie Fowler was on the bag for Wahlberg, Bubba Watson for Brees, Ricky Barnes for Gretzky and 2010 Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin for Ference. What a group.

The U.S. Open Challenge was somewhat inspired when Tiger Woods off-handly said a few years ago that a 10-handicap player couldn't break 100 in U.S. Open conditions. True that. Having tried this in the past myself at two U.S. Open courses, from the front tees even, I can attest. And as Woods said, the average player has no idea the difficulty of the course the pros are playing. People, trust me: It's truly on another level, and what you see on TV is superior golf by superior players, playing in tremendously gnarly conditions.

For those now intrigued and tempted to give it your own go, to count every stroke and abide by every rule (yeah, put that hand wedge away) and play every lie? Only attempt this if you want to torture yourself while you're out there, then replay in your mind afterward all the ways you could've played better. Friendly warning.

So. Did this gaggle of golfers end in double digits? Spoiler alert! One of them did. The others? Oh, so close. Marky Mark carded a 97, which is plenty respectable. Gretzky, who I'm sure had FORE Magazine cover girl (and wife) Janet in tow, crept up to 100. Brees finished two strokes back at 102, and Ference ended at a whopping 118. At more than 7,000 yards, not so bad.

But talk about not living up to past competition. In 2008 at Torrey Pines, Tony Romo shot an 84! Justin Timberlake a 98! Even Matt Lauer, who I didn't know played golf until the contest, shot an even 100. Or how about last year at Bethpage? Ben Roethlisberger shot 81, Michael Jordan an 86 and Timberlake an 88.

Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle, a great supporter of golf and, importantly, amateur golf, wrote a great story that captures the true spirit of the day. Here's some snippets:

After birdieing the signature seventh hole, Gretzky "topped his drive on No. 8 and watched in embarrassment as the ball sailed low and left, nailing a female spectator in the rear end."

Oops. But really, who hasn't done that? Nail a person with their ball, that is. Then there was this little gem from Wahlberg:

"I'll never watch the Open the same way again. And this is not even Open-ready yet - the rough is going to be longer and the fairways are going to be harder. ... Hey, I love the game, and I'll always enjoy it. But if I had to do it for a living, I'd slit my wrists."

Yikes, graphic and vidid. Point taken. But what about the low-index of the group, Brees?

"Brees, ostensibly the best player in the bunch with a 3-handicap, struggled all day. He opened triple bogey/double bogey/triple bogey and grew increasingly disgusted as the round unfolded."

Must be hard to be such a winner on the field, but not on the links. As for Ference?

"It's just hard," she said.

All points well taken, I'd say. This golf spectacle should be pretty fun to watch when it airs June 20 on NBC, just before the Open's final round. And a spectacle it will be.