PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The first time Patrick Cantlay played golf in these parts, he was a kid cloaked in fog as he toured Pebble Beach with his dad.
His most recent round was much brighter.
With brilliant sunshine bathing the jewels alongside 17-Mile Drive, Cantlay took up residence on the upper portions of the scoreboards Thursday on the strength of nine birdies at Spyglass in the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Cantlay turned in a 6-under 66 to share second with Chase Seiffert, who played Pebble Beach. Nick Taylor, looking for his second PGA Tour title and first in six years, shot a bogey-free, 8-under 63 at Monterey Peninsula to grab the lead.
Harold Varner III was in a group at 67 in his tournament debut. Phil Mickelson, in his bid for a record-tying sixth title in this tournament, opened with a 68. Also at 68 was Kevin Chappell, who is playing with Eli Manning.
“I’ve been playing really well,” said Cantlay, ranked No. 8 in the world. “I feel confident and comfortable with the game. I really like it around here. I’ve played the tournament a few times so coming back to golf courses is easier than seeing them for the first time.
“I like the whole feel up here. It’s one of my favorite places. I can see myself retiring here. I love Carmel, and it’s just beautiful, so how could you not like it up here when it’s perfect weather like this.”
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Cantlay also rode some good vibes around Spyglass with his partner this week, surfing icon Kelly Slater. Cantlay and Slater combined for a 63, putting them within two shots of the lead in the Pro-Am competition.
“We’ve played together in this tournament before. I enjoy Kelly. He’s a great player. He rolled the rock so good today,” Cantlay said. “We both played great, and it’s really fun being out here with him. He’s such a great champion and, obviously, the best to ever compete at his sport, which is beyond impressive, so it’s a real pleasure to be out here with him.”
Seiffert, certainly not among the biggest names in sports and entertainment playing this week, could change that with a life-altering week. The rookie, making just his 17th start on the PGA Tour, shot 66 at Pebble Beach in his tournament debut.
“It’s got to be one of my favorite rounds of all time, just to play a nice, clean round at Pebble Beach, and have, like, the control I did of my golf ball. And the weather was perfect. It was really just a perfect day,” Seiffert said. “My game felt good for sure leading up to today and Pebble looks really good to my eye as well.”
Varner last played Pebble Beach 13 years ago in a First Tee event. He’s tailormade for this tournament, his abundant good nature and robust personality fitting right it. He didn’t look anything like the player who hasn’t made a cut this year en route to his 67.
“It brought back a lot of memories being out there,” he said. “I obviously played well and obviously was having fun. I haven’t been playing well but I’m just going to keep working at it. Just keep it in perspective. And obviously, I have a lot of perspective from what I had 13 years ago to now. It’s never as good as you think it is. It’s never as bad as you think it is. So just keep it in between the lines.”
Mickelson was at Spyglass and continued to bounce back after a poor start to the year. After missing cuts in his first two events, Mickelson tied for third last week in the Saudi International and is in good shape here despite being a tad disappointed with his play.
“I drove it like a stallion and hit almost every fairway and when you’re doing that you can get aggressive and get after it,” Mickelson said. “And the fact that I didn’t take advantage of those opportunities was disappointing, but I feel like I’ll be able to continue driving it like that and if I do, I’ll get my iron play fixed and roll in some more birdies.”
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