Actor Josh Duhamel is enjoying a golf break at Pebble Beach
Josh Duhamel is a busy guy.
He's got a new show, a crime dramedy called "Battle Creek," debuting March 1 on CBS. He's a fairly new dad with a 17-month-old son. Between the 16-hour days of shooting and the rest of his waking hours dedicated to being a parent, finding time to practice ahead of this week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was difficult. So, he had to actually put it on the calendar.
"I told my wife," Duhamel started, referring to Stacy Ferguson, better known as recording artist Fergie, "'This is going to sound ridiculous, honey, but I'm going to put in the schedule two hours of golf practice, four times per week.' She totally understood. She knows I love coming here."
Duhamel, who plays to about a 10-handicap index, credited TaylorMade's new RSi irons with helping to mask some of the swing rust, particularly with his long irons.
"I'm hitting these new irons longer and straigher," he said during a Wednesday telephone interview. "I think they're a lot more forgiving than anything I've hit before, so I think they're going to be a big help. At least that's the story I'm going with."
The 42-year-old is paired this week with three-time PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk in the pro-am portion of the tournament. They don't know each other, but they're about to learn a whole lot over the next three, maybe four, days.
"I hear he's really good," Duhamel said, somewhat understated. "Any of these pros can catch fire at any time, and it's a lot of fun when your pro's doing well."
Duhamel knows something about contending for the Clambake crown. In 2010, he finished runner-up with Sergio Garcia. On that Sunday, Garcia shot 77 at Pebble Beach, so it was up to Duhamel to carry the team.
"I just played out of my mind," he said. "It was so much fun. I couldn't miss. It was the highlight of my sports career.
"It was fun because we just kept birdieing, birdieing, birdieing. I think we made up eight or nine strokes on Sunday. I'm hoping that we play well."
Even though they don't know each other, it's safe to presume Duhamel and Kirk will go for broke if they have a chance to win on Sunday, regardless of whether or not Kirk has a chance to take individual honors.
As for the religious experience of playing Pebble Beach Golf Links once, perhaps twice, in a week, Duhamel is particularly fond of the par-5 finishing hole that runs along the Monterey coast. A past birdie there probably makes him partial.
Regardless of outcome, Duhamel said he'll have a great time. After all, it's Pebble Beach: The views are stunning and there's a table in the world-famous Tap Room with Duhamel's name on it.
"I love me some Tap Room," he admitted.
It's also a chance, in an odd sense, to blend in. Duhamel said no one attending the tournament really cares about the amateurs -- a modest statement considering some of the names from entertainment and industry competing this week.
But then Duhamel joked, "Unless you're Bill Murray."
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
