PEBBLE BEACH, California. – The fading light was enough for Justin Rose to see his final shot find the 10th fairway at Pebble Beach and that was enough for him to call it a day.
He was 9-under in the 19 holes he played on two courses in wind, rain, hail and shine at the weather-delayed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He went from middle of the field to a two-stroke lead Sunday night when it was too dark to continue.
Rose was due to return on Monday morning to finish the back nine for his first win in four years.
“A two-shot lead is great,” Rose said. “Usually you sleep two shots ahead, there are 18 holes to play, tons can happen on 18 holes. Now there are eight holes to play. Less can happen in eight holes, but still… I still have to get out and do a job tomorrow.”
Rose, who finished his third round of the morning with a 6-under 65 on the Monterey Peninsula by one shot, was at 15-under par when the final round was abandoned as the sun sank below the Pacific horizon.
Denny McCarthy also played against Monterey Peninsula in the morning and made eight pars and a bogey on the back nine, leaving him frustrated at six shots. A change of location and a quick call to his sports psychologist changed everything.
McCarthy shot 29 in the front nine at Pebble Beach in favorable winds to move up into the contest. He opted to continue on the 16th hole after the horn sounded, beating his approach to 15 feet and then opting to mark his ball and stop for the night.
He was 13 under par, along with Brendon Todd (over 12 holes) and Peter Malnati, who was in the last group with Rose.
“It was doable pretty early on. I got it by accident,” McCarthy said. “I was nervous but also very calm at the same time. I took a couple of shots… and just felt good after the start.”
The only winner on Sunday was Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won the Pro-Am with Canada’s Ben Silverman. Due to wind and other weather delays, the Pro-Am was shortened to 54 holes, leaving only Pros for the final round.
Rodgers and Silverman won in one fell swoop.
He gets his name on the Wall of Champions before the first tee at Pebble Beach, which Rodgers called his “bucket list” spot.
Rose would like to be on an adjacent plaque for tournament winners.
He was about halfway down the field when he returned to the Monterey Peninsula on Sunday morning to continue round three. It was his golf ball, flapping about 4 feet on the ninth green, that caused officials to call the game a day early.
Rose had hit 5 wood at 3 feet on Saturday. He made the 7-foot putt Sunday morning and was on his way.
After a slow start to the final loop – a bogey early, even a par through some of the scoring sections of the front nine – Rose drove into the fairway bunker on the sixth par 5 thinking he was fighting for a birdie. And then he changed his mind.
“It would have been easy to hit a different shot, just try hitting a high cut 7-iron on the top of the ridge, give me a wedge shot,” he said. “But I was only 214 (yards) ahead, so it took the shot.”
He ripped a 4-iron that rolled 8 feet onto the green for an eagle, then followed that up with an 18-foot birdie putt onto the 106-yard seventh hole.
“At that point I was looking for some momentum, looking for something good,” said Rose. “It came at just the right time for me.”
Sunday was characterized by wind, rain, briefly some hail and sunshine, all in the three hours to complete the third lap in the morning. In the late afternoon, players went from umbrellas to shadows within 15 minutes.
The toughest stretch for Rose could wait Monday depending on the wind and the weather at Pebble has a mind of its own. The final stretch of holes has proven to be the most difficult. Six of the last seven holes are among the eight toughest for the finals.
Taylor Pendrith of Canada was among 20 players to finish. He went out in 31 and bogey-free for a 64 to post at 12-under 275. That was three shots behind Rose but worth hanging around to see how it pans out.
Rodgers did his share of the heavy lifting. Silverman, who brought home a Korn Ferry Tour win, finished 1 for 216 and missed the cut. Rodgers, who played with a 10 handicap, said he hadn’t played golf since training camp until last Monday.
They finished 26 under par.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Keith Mitchell were four behind. Were it not for the weather, the top 25 Pro-Am teams would have played Sunday afternoon.
“Josh Allen told me there’s going to be an asterisk on that win because there were only three rounds,” Rodgers said. “But I think our names will be up there for a long time.”
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