Boston golfer and "Burn Notice" star Jeffrey Donovan wins Pebble Beach celebrity challenge

February 11 -- “Burn Notice” star and accomplished amateur golfer Jeffrey Donovan did his hometown of Amesbury, MA, proud when he and actor Andy Garcia won Wednesday’s celebrity challenge portion of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tourney.

• View photos from the first round of AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tourney

Donovan’s 13-foot birdie putt won the first hole and the two never looked back. Donovan donated his share of the $22,000 winner’s share to the Amesbury Educational Foundation Inc.

Recycled golf balls. Actor and progressive activist Don Cheadle, a single-digit handicapper, is playing recyclable Dixon Earth golf balls this week.

“I have been playing the Dixon Earth ball for a while and love the fact that not only is it eco-friendly, but it is a high performance golf ball as well,” Cheadle said in a press release. “The Dixon Earth ball fits my game as well as any ball out there.”

Dixon Golf makes the totally recyclable balls from reprocessable materials. The company also provides cash credits toward future purchases of its balls.

Soggy conditions. Boston golfers who weathered last summer’s endless rain can relate on some level to the conditions at all three Pebble Beach tracks With recent storms saturating the California coast courses, officials determined that   golfers can lift, clean, and place their balls during the first three rounds.

Each pro will play each of the three courses -- Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Monterey Peninsula’s South Course -- once, according to the PGA Tour’s Helen Ross. Officials will make a decision about Sunday’s final round that morning.

New England golfers on tour. Some New England golf pros were faring well during the first round of play, while others had some work to do.

Massachusetts native James Driscoll and Rhode Islander Brett Quigley were at 2-under after 14 holes and 11 holes, respectively, at Spyglass. Rhode Island native Brad Faxon at 1-under after 16 on the same course.

Kevin Johnson (Pembroke, MA) was at 1-under after 12 and Fran Quinn (Northborough, MA) at 1-over after 12 on Pebble Beach. Connecticut golfers Tim Petrovic and J.J. Henry sat at 2-over after 15 on Monterey’s South Course, and after 11 at Spyglass, respectively. Brad Adamonis (Cumberland, RI) had a 4-over after 12 at Spyglass.

Faxon, who is playing Spyglass during the opening round of the Pebble Beach tourney, is no stranger to quirky golf courses. Read about Faxon’s rave review for the renovations to Monterey’s South Course, oddities and all.