PEBBLE BEACH, California. – Kurt Kitayama feels more comfortable every time he competes on the PGA Tour, and the Californian can only hope that’s the case before the weekend at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Kitayama opened with 10 straight pars before getting on the course and finishing birdie par on two of the tougher holes at Pebble Beach for a 2-under-70, giving him a one-shot lead on Friday.
Kitayama was at 9-under 134 and was led by one over Keith Mitchell, Brandon Wu, Joseph Bramlett and Hank Lebioda.
As the prediction goes, it takes on a different meaning in the Monterey Peninsula.
Katayama’s last shot at his first PGA Tour win was at South Carolina’s CJ Cup in Congaree this fall. Going into the weekend he was leading with Jon Rahm and he was in the last group and a shot behind Rory McIlroy who was going into the last lap.
He also finished second to Rahm in Mexico and Xander Schauffele at the Scottish Open last year.
“I think the more you put yourself in that position, the more uncomfortable you can become,” Kitayama said. “It’s definitely good experience to draw on and capitalize on hopefully next Sunday.”
The competitors at Pebble don’t have that kind of star power. Of the top 10 players, only four have won on the PGA Tour and Scott Stallings is the only multiple winner.
Much more frightening is the unsettled weather at this tournament.
Saturday’s start times have been brought forward by an hour due to the high winds and it doesn’t take much to be a problem in this area.
Lebioda felt it coming down the track at Pebble Beach on Friday. He led most of the day up to a double bogey on the par 3 fifth hole when he went wide to the left of the green, threw the next shot into a bunker and took three to be down.
He finished with a bogey and had to settle for a 72.
“It was definitely more difficult,” said Lebioda. “I thought there was a little more wind during my lap than yesterday in Monterey. The course is probably a bit more difficult as well. So the combination of those two things made it a challenging round.”
Lebioda moves to Spyglass Hill and becomes a unique footnote in history. Saturday will be his 11th straight PGA Tour round at his 11th other course. That’s partly because he missed his last five recordings on tour.
He played Port Royal in the Bermuda Championship. He played the Plantation and Seaside courses at Sea Island in the RSM Classic. He began playing three courses on The American Express this year. From there it went to Torrey Pines on the north and south course. And this week he’s been to the Monterey Peninsula, Pebble and Spyglass Hill.
“We do our best to treat each round as an event in its own right,” he said.
Mitchell (68), Wu (66) and Bramlett (67) all played on the Monterey Peninsula.
Seamus Power of Ireland delivered the weak round on a day that began with rain before giving way to steady winds and occasional chilly weather as shifting clouds kept the sun out. He had a 64 on the Monterey Peninsula to get within two of the lead.
“The first five, six holes were kind of rainy and the ball just wouldn’t go anywhere. Not much wind,” said Power. “Then we got to the tack and then for about an hour, an hour and a half, it blew really, really hard there. The last few holes were very enjoyable.
“It was one of those days, like back home in Ireland, where you experience many seasons in one day.”
Viktor Hovland, who won a US amateur at the US Open in Pebble Beach and was a low amateur, is playing at the tournament for the first time. He shot 67 on the Monterey Peninsula and was three shots over par behind.
Jordan Spieth had a 68 on the Monterey Peninsula and was five behind.
Next they face Pebble Beach, the toughest of the three courses downwind because so many holes are exposed along the ocean.
Spieth was hoping for a slightly better Friday, but was a little pleased that the lead wasn’t too far from him.
“Still in,” he said. “But it looks like we have a tough few days ahead of us.”
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