Day: February 5, 2023

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - There was rain, wind, hail, and even bursts of sunshine when players returned Sunday morning to finish their third rounds in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. None of that goes on the scorecard, however; it's just filed away for flavor and charm. What does go on the scorecard, however, are the four birdies and the eagle made by Justin Rose as he played 10 holes in a 6-under at Monterey Peninsula Country Club to seize a one-shot, 54-hole lead. If you saw Rose counting his blessings, it's for good reason. "The morning couldn't have gone better," he said, and he will raise his hand to tell you he was an eyewitness to why play was halted late Saturday afternoon. "I hit a 5-wood to 3 feet (at the par-3 ninth). As I was going to mark my ball it blew 7 feet down the green." Officials had seen enough. Play was halted on all three courses and Rose was left to dream about that 7-footer all night. He did make it to start his Sunday fun, but then more madness - hail fell. "(We were) like, ‘What is going on? What more can they throw at us this week?' " As if someone tossed a switch, the hail stopped, the wind softened, and the sun actually popped out. Sufficiently upbeat, Rose then birdied 10 and 13, eagled the par-5 15th, and slam-dunked a 25-foot birdie roll at 18. The dynamic return completed a round of 6-under 65 that pushed him to 12-under and into a one-shot lead as he tries to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR since the Farmers Insurance Open in 2019. Peter Malnati returned to Pebble Beach and played six holes in 1-over to shoot 67 and settle in at 11-under, tied with Kurt Kitayama who played nine holes in 2-under at Spyglass Hills to sign for 70. Keith Mitchell and Joseph Bramlett, both of whom were one shot behind Malnati when play was halted Saturday, couldn't get anything going on their return to Pebble Sunday. Mitchell played eight holes at level par to sign for 70 and at 10-under is two back. Bramlett had a lighter assignment - five holes - but he had four pars and a bogey at the par-3 17th to shoot 71 and drop into a five-way tie at 9-under with Brandon Wu (71, Pebble), Hank Lebioda (71, Spyglass), Brent Grant (69, Spyglass), and Viktor Hovland (69, Pebble). Miles from the lead, there was drama - as there often is with Jordan Spieth. The former champion here and clearly an ambassador of sorts with his AT&T sponsorship, Spieth ended Saturday's play with a bogey at No. 8 and a double at No. 9, so when he returned to play Pebble's back nine Sunday, he was squarely on the cutline, 1-under. Par after par after par, Spieth remained smack on the cutline. He drove it wide right and into a bunker at the 18th, but a textbook layup and a 120-yard wedge to 19 feet led to a two-putt par. It was a third-round 75, hardly what he needed to get into contention, but Spieth at least will get a fourth round. A total of 75 players made the cut at 1-under and will commence with Round 4 in threesomes off two tees starting at 12:20 (PST). The leaders - Rose, Malnati, Kitayama - will start at 2:30 p.m. Play will, of course, spill into the third Monday finish in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 2000.