PEBBLE BEACH, California. – A strong wind was more than just a threat at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It brought the tournament to a standstill on Saturday with two holes on one of the courses and resulted in a Monday finish without the amateurs.
Keith Mitchell made it through the worst wind in Pebble Beach, so strong he hit an 8-iron on the 106-yard seventh hole. And just when he thought he was off the hook coming through the sea holes, the horn blew to stop the game.
“We knew before today that these were going to be the difficult holes. That was going to be possibly the toughest stretch of the whole week,” Mitchell said. “If we could get through this track with a relatively good result, I would be ready for the weekend.”
He made it, and after a long ride at No. 11 with a tailwind, he suddenly had the rest of the day off.
Peter Malnati was 12-under at the top of the standings with six holes left on his round at Pebble Beach. He started on the back nine along the ocean in favorable conditions and he was on the fourth green coming from three straight birdies when play stopped.
Mitchell, who played alongside Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Joseph Bramlett, who played with Welsh football star Gareth Bale, were down at 10.
Kurt Kitayama, the 36-hole leader, and Hank Lebioda were three shots behind. They were on Spyglass Hill.
Blame it on the coastal course on the Monterey Peninsula, particularly the section that runs along the ocean. Gary Young, the PGA Tour’s chief umpire, received reports of balls moving on the greens. He said an amateur hit a putt and the wind started blowing it back at the player.
In a three-speed rotation, the game must end in all three places. The PGA Tour was hoping for a restart later this afternoon, except the wind was unrelenting and the forecast was not optimistic.
Round three was set to resume Sunday morning and the amateurs had an opportunity to return and complete a Pro-Am that will only cover 54 holes.
Mitchell was asked if he expects Allen to be among the amateurs to reach the goal.
“I haven’t spoken to him. But the guy was training outside in the rain and wind this afternoon when everyone was inside,” he said. “I can’t imagine him not showing up. The weather tomorrow morning will be better than it is in Buffalo, I can promise you that.”
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers led. His partner is Ben Silverman of Canada and they were 25 under par. This would indicate a fantastic game of golf from Rodgers who is playing on a 10 handicap with limited help from Silverman who finished 2 for the tournament .
The 54 hole cut is usually top 60 to account for the 25 amateurs. Now it will return to top 65 and ties, and it will only be pros for the finals. Young expects the lead group to reach nine holes.
Monday’s finish is the second time Pebble has not been decided on a Sunday since Tiger Woods came to the win in 2000 from five shots down. Phil Mickelson had to play two holes on Monday morning to win the 2019 and Dustin Johnson was declared the 54th-hole winner in 2009, Monday’s final round could not be played.
The wind was expected later in the day, one reason for delaying start times by an hour. However, the weather in Pebble is rarely predictable.
It arrived about three hours into the round and it was gruesome.
Mitchell smashed a drive on the par-five sixth and had 235 yards up the hill and he came up about 30 yards from the green. Then came the chip 8-iron down the hill on the scenic par-3 seventh.
With the wind and her back on the eighth, with the second shot going over a corner of the ocean, Allen hit the 6-iron off the tee and then another 6-iron at 12 feet on the rim. Mitchell and Allen were six shots behind Rodgers.
It was difficult for others to persevere. Jordan Spieth thought he must be 3 or 4 under in the opening stretch at Pebble. The wind picked up on the fifth par 3 where Spieth pulled it left into a bunker and bogeyed it. He finished the front nine with a bogey and a double bogey for a 39, leaving him on the cut line.
Mitchell had the toughest stretch of Pebble downwind, but it was tough everywhere. Bramlett, who played collegiate golf at Stanford, had 136 yards downwind on the #9 and hit the 8-iron just short of the green. On the par 5, 14, he had 210 yards up the hill with a tailwind and hit an 8 iron across the green.
“It’s a guessing game,” Bramlett said. “We just do our best.”
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