Day: February 5, 2023

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — A strong wind was more than just a menace at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It brought the tournament to a halt Saturday because of two holes on one of the courses, and set up a Monday finish without the amateurs. Keith Mitchell made it through the worst stretch of wind at Pebble Beach, so strong that he hit an 8-iron on the 106-yard seventh hole. And right when he thought he was off the hook by getting through the ocean holes, the horn blew to stop play. “We knew going into today that those were going to be the tough holes. That was going to be the hardest stretch potentially all week,” Mitchell said. “If we could make it through that stretch in a relatively good score, I would be set up for the weekend.” He made it through, and after a big drive on No. 11 with the wind at his back, he suddenly had the rest of the day off. Peter Malnati was atop the leaderboard at 12 under with six holes left in his round at Pebble Beach. He started on the back nine along the ocean in benign conditions, and he was on the fourth green, coming off three straight birdies, when play stopped. Mitchell, playing alongside Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Joseph Bramlett, playing with Welsh soccer star Gareth Bale, were at 10 under. Kurt Kitayama, the 36-hole leader, and Hank Lebioda were three shots behind. They were at Spyglass Hill. The culprit was the Shore course at Monterey Peninsula, particularly the stretch that runs along the ocean. Gary Young, the PGA TOUR’s chief referee, began getting reports that balls were moving on the greens. He said one amateur hit a putt and the wind began to blow it back toward the player. With a three-course rotation, play has to stop at all three courses. The PGA TOUR was hopeful of restarting later in the afternoon, except the wind was relentless and the forecast didn’t provide any optimism. The third round was to resume Sunday morning, and the amateurs had the option to return and complete a pro-am that will be only 54 holes. Mitchell was asked if he expected Allen to be among the amateurs to finish. “I haven’t spoken with him. But the guy was out practicing in the rain and the wind this afternoon when everybody was inside,” he said. “I can’t imagine him not showing up. The weather’s better tomorrow morning than in Buffalo right now, I can promise you that.” Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was leading. His partner is Ben Silverman of Canada, and they were at 25-under par. That would point to some amazing golf by Rodgers, who plays off a 10 handicap and is getting limited help from Silverman, who was 2 over for the tournament. The 54-hole cut typically is top 60 to account for the 25 amateurs. Now it will revert to top 65 and ties, and it will be professionals only for the final round. Young anticipates the lead group getting in nine holes. The Monday finish will be the second time Pebble wasn’t decided on a Sunday since Tiger Woods came from five shots behind to win in 2000. Phil Mickelson had to play two holes Monday morning to win in 2019. The wind had been expected later in the day, one reason for moving up the starting times by an hour. Weather at Pebble, however, is rarely predictable. It arrived about three hours after the round began, and it was ferocious. Mitchell smashed a drive on the par-5 sixth and had 235 yards up the hill, and he came up some 30 yards short of the green. Then came the chip 8-iron down the hill at the picturesque par-3 seventh. With the wind and their backs on the eighth, in which the second shot is over a corner of the ocean, Allen hit 6-iron off the tee, and then he hit another 6-iron to 12 feet on the fringe. Mitchell and Allen were six shots behind Rodgers. For others, it was tough to hang on. Jordan Spieth figured he needed to be 3 or 4 under through the opening stretch at Pebble. The wind showed up on the par-3 fifth, where Spieth pulled it left into a bunker and made bogey. 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 in the wind, but it was tough all over. Bramlett, who played college golf at Stanford, had 136 yards into the wind on No. 9 and hit 8-iron short of the green. On the par-5 14th, with the wind at his back, he had 210 yards up the hill and hit 8-iron over the green. “It’s a guessing game,” Bramlett said. “We’re just doing our best.”

There's an interesting phenomenon afoot at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and it doesn't have to do with the gusty winds that have the tournament eyeing a Monday finish. Three days have passed at Pebble, although the third was interrupted by some big breezes buffeting the Monterey Peninsula. Each of those three days have featured a different name atop the leaderboard: Hank Lebioda after the first round, Kurt Kitayama after Round 2 and now Peter Malnati, who will sleep on a two-shot cushion as he returns Sunday morning to complete the last six holes of his third round. But despite that revolving door at the top, oddsmakers have listed the same player as the overnight betting favorite for three straight days despite the fact that he has yet to sleep on a lead: Keith Mitchell. It's a testament to the extra variables in play this week with a three-course rotation in use, plus the credit given to Mitchell for a 5-under 67 Thursday at Spyglass Hill - by far the hardest track of the trio. He has eight holes left in his third round at the host course, but oddsmakers at BetMGM continue to like his chances of getting TOUR win No. 2 this week on the California coast. Updated odds to win, via BetMGM (Round 3 play to resume at 11 a.m. ET Sunday): +350: Keith Mitchell +400: Peter Malnati +500: Viktor Hovland +700: Joseph Bramlett +800: Kurt Kitayama +1800: Justin Rose +2000: Beau Hossler +2500: Hank Lebioda +3000: Denny McCarthy From a handicapping perspective, it's hard to think of a situation with more variables to factor. Players have varying holes left in their third round, being played at separate courses. Some will have a 20-something hole day at Pebble Beach, while others will wrap their rounds elsewhere and quickly shuttle back to the host course to begin the final round. All signs point to the tournament winner not lifting the trophy until Monday morning. But sometimes a few extra variables can help to lift prices if you know which ones matter most. Without further ado... Draws Peter Malnati Make no mistake, Malnati caught a huge break when tournament officials decided (understandably) to halt play for the day because of strong winds. For a brief window Saturday afternoon the veteran was staring at playing a particularly exposed portion of Pebble Beach in some wild winds. Conditions should be considerably easier Sunday morning, where Malnati will start with an 18-footer for birdie on fresh greens that could stretch his lead to three shots. Malnati is typically a hit-or-miss prospect - he opened this week at lofty +20000 odds and was +6600 after two rounds before catching fire Saturday at Pebble Beach. But this is the type of course (and event) where his targeted game can thrive, even when the wind kicks up a bit. Look, he's by no means a lock to win this thing. But his chances were boosted considerably when the decision was made that he would face Nos. 4-9 at Pebble after a light breakfast Sunday instead of into the teeth of the gale Saturday afternoon. Brandon Wu If looking to grab a piece of a longshot for the final stretch, you could do worse than the former Stanford product who sits four shots back and +4000 with 23 holes to go. Wu has the logistical advantage of playing all of his remaining golf at the host course, and while he faces a relatively demanding stretch in the morning (Nos. 5-9) his odds entering the final round will be a fraction of the current offering if he's able to grab a couple birdies across those holes. Wu will almost certainly be chasing Sunday (and into Monday), but he hit 17 of 18 GIR Friday at Monterey Peninsula and rattled off four birdies in his first eight Saturday at Pebble. A late double bogey derailed his momentum and ballooned his in-play price, but the game is there to get it done against a leaderboard that doesn't boast a clear front-runner. Fades Keith Mitchell Maybe the oddsmakers are just smarter than me. It's entirely possible (OK, probable). But I'm just not seeing Mitchell as the player to beat from this particular leaderboard. Mitchell, like Malnati, has won before on TOUR - a relatively rare distinction among the leaders at this point and potentially a factor that is cutting into the odds for both players. But Mitchell was a bit of a scrambling man Saturday at Pebble, recording one-putts on eight of his first nine greens. That's in part due to the small targets at the host course, but it also shows that Mitchell leaned heavily on his short game to remain in the mix. That's tough to rely on indefinitely - particularly in a situation where he's favored but not leading. I could certainly see Mitchell lifting the trophy, but I'm not looking to back him at such a short number. Beau Hossler Hossler was entirely off the radar at the halfway point, listed at +20000 heading to the hardest of the three courses. He clearly found something Saturday at Spyglass Hill, though, rolling in birdies on seven of his first 14 holes to rocket up the standings in improbable fashion. Unlike Malnati, the break in action may have cooled his heater - one that had the edge taken off considerably by a double bogey on No. 6, his last completed hole of the day. Hossler's rally was still remarkable, lopping a zero off his odds as he dropped down to +2000. But he's still looking for his maiden TOUR win, something that is typically hard to find at this event, and unlike the top three leaders he'll deal with some logistical hurdles by splitting his Sunday across two different golf courses. He's still facing a four-shot deficit, plus a few closing holes at tricky Spyglass before returning to the host course where he shot an uninspiring, even-par 72 on Friday. *Odds sourced from BetMGM at 7:00p.m. ET Saturday Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org