Tag: Tom Hoge

After winning the PGA Championship, Justin Thomas leads list of golfers who missed the cut at the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge

The scorecard implies Thomas might have lost his focus just a tad.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Justin Thomas opened his week at Colonial Country Club by insisting he was squarely focused on adding another trophy to his case, even if the Charles Schwab Challenge kicked off just days after he won the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club.

The scorecard implies Thomas might have lost that focus just a tad.

On a sweltering Texas day, the 15-time PGA Tour champ broke down soon after escaping the Horrible Horseshoe — the three-hole stretch on the front nine that often gives players fits. Instead, it was Nos. 7, 8 and 9 that proved the downfall for Thomas, as his bogey-bogey-triple run essentially clinched a weekend off.

Charles Schwab: Leaderboard | PGA Tour streaming on ESPN+ | Photos

Thomas wasn’t the only big name to struggle in the week after the major.

While Scottie Scheffler, Beau Hossler and Scott Stallings led the way at 9 under, here is a look at some of the other big names who were sent packing after failing to fall on the right side of the plus-1 cutline:

Players Championship cut finally made following bitterly cold Florida morning at TPC Sawgrass

When 36 holes were complete, Sam Burns and Tom Hoge were atop the leaderboard at 7 under.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – There is no snow on the ground, but winter was definitely in the air Sunday morning at TPC Sawgrass.

When players took to the Stadium Course for resumption of the Players Championship’s second round at 8:15 a.m. ET, the wind chill factor made it feel like it was 25 degrees. Caddies were dipping towels into buckets of water to clean clubs and golf balls in the future; the towels froze up quickly.

The thermometer struggled to get past 35 for much of the morning.

It didn’t cross 50 until around 12 noon.

“It was freezing,” said Tommy Fleetwood, who finished off a 1-over 73 that left him at 5 under through 36 holes. “It was really, really cold this morning. The sun warmed things up a little bit. But this morning was like as cold as I think I’ve ever played a Tour event, for sure.”

Players: Leaderboard | How to watch | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ streaming

Storms beginning Wednesday night forced the second round into Sunday. The tournament also had to deal with ferociously high winds on Saturday. The first round took 54 hours, 16 minutes to complete. The second round? Finished in a mere 27 hours, one minute.

“It was not warm,” said Harold Varner III, who has posted consecutive 69s to sit at 6 under. “I’m in a lot of clothes right now. Funny enough, I used to live here, so I’ve played it colder. It is what it is.”

When 36 holes were complete, Sam Burns and Tom Hoge were atop the leaderboard at 7 under; Burns shot 69 in the second round, Hoge a 71.

A shot back in a tie for third were Harold Varner III (60) and Erik van Rooyen (67). Another shot back at 5 under were Fleetwood, Abraham Ancer (71), Paul Casey (69), Corey Conners (69), Keith Mitchell (72), and Taylor Pendrith (71).

The cut came in 2 over with 71 players moving on, including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, who made the cut on the number.

Among those missing the final two rounds were Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Adam Scott and Jason Day.

“I was onto my third sweater, I think, and I still wasn’t warm enough,” said Hoge, who won earlier this year at Pebble Beach. “You know what, I think we definitely got the good end of the draw. That’s golf, I guess. It was certainly difficult out there still this morning. I felt there were a lot of challenging golf shots out there.

“I just tried to hit a lot of fairways and greens. I managed it very well until the 18th hole. But it was a solid day for me, and hopefully I keep that going.”

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Players Championship dreams: Weather woes aren’t deterring PGA Tour’s journeymen

The weather’s been horrible for the Players Championship but look who’s taking to TPC Sawgrass like, well, ducks to water.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The weather’s been horrible for the 48th Players Championship but look who’s taking to the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass like, well, ducks to water.

Tom Hoge, for one. He’s been laboring on the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour for eight years and went more than Tour 200 starts before scoring his first victory at Pebble Beach last month.

Brice Garnett, for another. The 38-year-old seven-year Tour veteran won in the Dominican Republic in 2018 for his career highlight.

Despite those thin resumes, they were tied for first in The Players Championship with Tommy Fleetwood of England at 6 under when the field was pulled in at 11:15 a.m. ET on Friday because of unplayable course conditions. Play was officially called for the day shortly after 3 p.m. ET and play will resume no earlier than 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.

The Players: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

Hoge and Fleetwood shot 66 on Thursday and Garnett was 6 under through 13 holes on Friday, capping his day with an eagle 2 at No. 4.

Other contenders such as Kramer Hickok, Anirbarn Lahiri, Taylor Pendrith and Doug Ghim are looking for their first Tour titles. Of the 17 players tied for ninth or higher, eight have won one or no PGA Tour titles and only one, Dustin Johnson, has won a major championship.

And where is defending champion Justin Thomas? Rory McIlroy, the 2019 champion? Other major champions such as World No. 1 Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa or Brooks Koepka?

Back in the pack. But not out of it.

Through two stop-start days at the Players, the biggest stars seem to have had the most trouble negotiating the wet grounds during the worst weather pattern to hit the week of the PGA Tour’s marquee event in 17 years.

Tour says a Tuesday finish possible

How bad? Already 4.25 inches of rain have fallen on the course since Wednesday night, 2.5 on Friday. Of the 143 players who started (Luke List pulled out on Friday after seven holes with a neck injury), only 96 have been able to complete their first rounds by the time of the suspension on Friday.

TPC Sawgrass agronomy staff had to squeegee greens of standing water between groups (the par-5 11th green seemed especially problematic) and the combination of wet hands and gloves led to some comical shots, such as Morikawa’s squirting fairway wood at No. 11 and Spieth’s yank at No. 17 that came to rest on the footpath leading to the Island Green.

“It’s highly unusual to have this pattern this prolonged at this time of year,” said Gary Young, the PGA Tour’s chief referee this week.

Young seemed to concede the eighth Monday finish in tournament history (and fifth at the Stadium Course) and also didn’t dismiss the possibility of the first Tuesday finish in the history of the Players.

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“There is that potential,” he said.

As bad as the weather has been the first two days, it could get worse on Saturday morning. Not only are storms forecast but there is the possibility of high enough winds to require the grounds crew to not only get the playing surface in shape but remove debris such as tree limbs.

Brice Garnett will be patient

But a player such as Garnett wouldn’t mind how long it takes if at the end of proceedings, as long as he’s the guy holding the Gold Man Trophy and has $3.6 million heading to his bank on direct deposit.

“We knew it was going to be a long day,” he said “We were just trying to stay in the moment and not get too ahead of ourself with all the rain. It’s something exciting. Something that you kind of wish you would keep playing and keep the momentum going, but the course is unplayable.”

Hoge, who eagled the second hole and birdied three of his last five to shoot 31 on the Stadium’s front nine, his back nine Thursday, said he’s feeling content with his performance and has enough experience to draw on to keep it going — once he does get back on the golf course.

“This is my fourth Players Championship, and I just got a little bit more comfortable being here,” he said. “Certainly, nice to come back and have a little familiarity with the tournament and the golf course and the area. I feel like it’s a golf course that suits me really well, so I’m always excited to show up here.”

Tommy Fleetwood loves course

Fleetwood hasn’t won on the PGA Tour but he’s captured eight European Tour titles and has been a Ryder Cup star for Europe. He also has some recent muscle memory, having contended in 2019 before dumping a ball in the water at No. 17 on Sunday and tying for fifth.

“I think my strengths over the years have always been hitting it in play off the tee,” he said. “Very consistent, hit a lot of greens with my irons and never really put myself in too much trouble and have a very sort of patient attitude and mindset. I love this golf course. I really, really do. If you play well, you get rewarded, and if you play poorly, you’re going to struggle to make a score. I think it’s major-like in that sense.”

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Behind them are only three players who have won four or more events: Johnson, who is certifiably Hall of Fame-bound, with 24 victories and two major championships; and Daniel Berger (5 under through 16 holes to tie for fourth) and Kevin Kisner (who shot a 4-under 68, a tie for ninth), who have each won four.

Hickok, Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell and Lahiri all shot 67 in the first round completed Thursday to tie for fourth. Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer and Players rookie Taylor Pendrith finished with 68s.

Don’t sleep on Kevin Kisner

Kisner is one to watch. He lost to Rickie Fowler in a playoff in the 2015 Players, and his tie for second remains the best performance by a first-time Players participant since Craig Perks won in 2020. Kisner eagled No. 16 but also had three bogeys.

“The ball’s going nowhere, but it’s calm, so it’s good,” he said. “You’ve got to really be aggressive with your iron shots to make sure you’re hitting enough club for the spin, and getting the ball on the fairway is paramount so you can get your hand on it [under the preferred lies rule in place for the first two days of the tournament].”

And where are marquee players? The good news is they’re not in a position to panic just yet. Rahm shot a 69 Thursday and with a U.S. Open title behind him, has a passion to win the Players.

“It’s the closest win you can get without it being a major,” he said. “If they ever were to do a fifth major, this should be it.”

Scottie Scheffler, who is 4 under through 15, has won twice in his last three starts. Koepka is 3 under through 15 holes, Spieth 2 under through 16 (but facing that chip off the footpath at 17 when he returns), Thomas is 2 under through 15, Hovland shot 71 on Thursday, Morikawa is even through 13 and McIlroy is 1 over through 15.

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Pebble Beach champion Tom Hoge looks to continue run of form at WM Phoenix Open

“I’ve been playing well and I want to get back out and capitalize on it,” Hoge said.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tom Hoge got his work in on the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course driving range less than 24 hours after being handed the crystal glass trophy for winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.

The 32-year-old Hoge, from North Dakota, won his first PGA Tour event on Sunday after being one of seven golfers with at least a share of the lead during the final round. Over his last five tournaments, he’s finished in the top five three times and not made the cut in the other two.

After about six or seven hours of sleep, it was time to fly to Arizona to see if he can continue his recent run of success at the WM Phoenix Open this week.

“I’ve been playing well and I want to get back out and capitalize on it,” Hoge said. “Kind of ride off this run that I’ve been playing well, and just get a little bit of practice in, try to get back into a little more a routine here this week.”

Hoge said the celebration of his Pebble Beach victory was “nothing special.” He’s staying with his mother this week, and brought the trophy to her home for her to see it.

The Pebble Beach trophy is on the kitchen table, he said.

Tom Hoge
Tom Hoge practices on the driving range during the first day of the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Michael Chow-USA TODAY NETWORK)

Beyond that, he’s received many congratulatory calls and text messages, noting that he believes he’s only the fourth person from North Dakota ever to win on the PGA Tour.

“Just trying to battle, and it’s that cliché, one shot at a time. But that’s really what it comes down to, is how well you can focus and execute each shot, and get a few good breaks out there,” Hoge said.

He’s excited to play in front of a full complement of fans after WM Phoenix Open attendance was limited due to the pandemic last year,

“That excitement that we get from this week, I think we don’t it anywhere else on Tour,” Hoge said. “So it’s fun to be back here for that.

Hoge spent a couple of weeks in the area before the PGA Tour event in Hawaii in mid-January, and got some practice rounds in at TPC Scottsdale and Grayhawk Golf Club while here.

“I would say I’ve gotten a little bit better in every area,” Hoge said when asked what part of his game has improved significantly. “I guess just getting older, being in those (leaderboard) positions a lot, I’ve just learned a little bit how to manage myself better out there, and it’s seemed to pay off.”

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Free admission

The week of events at the WM Phoenix Open began Monday, and golf fans took advantage of free admission to see players get in a practice round on the famous course, watch the Carlisle Pro-Am on the course and roar their approval of good shots at the notorious 16th hole, which is built out to its familiar stadium look with attendance back to full-go after being limited due to the pandemic last year.

Free admission, sponsored by Arizona Ford Dealers, continues on Tuesday. The PGA Tour pro with the combined closest-to-the-pin tee shots at 16 after Thursday’s and Friday’s rounds will be declared the Ford Drive One for Arizona Charities contest winner, and $10,000 will go to a local charity of his choice.

Charities from which a Tour player may choose to play for include: Chicanos Por la Causa, Care Fund, Valleywise Health Foundation, Arizona Humane Society, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House of Phoenix, JDRF, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley and Salvation Army.

Phelps, Rodgers, Buehler in Pro-Am

More celebrities and well-known athletes were added to the list of those taking part in the Annexus Pro-Am at the WM Phoenix Open on Wednesday.

Multi-time gold medalist Michael Phelps. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler, actor Josh Duhamel and former USC and NFL football star Reggie Bush are scheduled to take part.

This will be Phelps’ sixth straight year taking part. Bush is set for his third appearance.

Others already in the field include former Arizona Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, former Cardinal Patrick Peterson, actor-comedian Rob Riggle, former MLB pitcher CC Sabathia and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.

Three punch tickets via qualifying

Ben Silverman, Etienne Papineau and Jeffrey Kang each earned a spot in the WM Phoenix Open via qualifying at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale Monday.

Silverman fired a 6-under 66 to lead the way. Papineau and Kang were the two golfers who emerged from a six-player playoff for the two remaining Open spots.

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Tom Hoge won at Pebble Beach, negating a furious rally from Jordan Spieth

After all this time, Hoge’s moment of glory has arrived.

A little over 11 years ago, a young Tom Hoge formally entered the PGA scene. A former two-time Minnesota state amateur champion, the North Dakota native was a talented golfer who belonged. But, it was clear he was someone who would have to work their way up to earn their keep among golf’s best. In other words, the way many do.

Breaking news: Winning in professional golf is difficult, sometimes even impossible. More at 11 on this groundbreaking story!

Eleven years later, Hoge can finally reap the benefits of his rewards.

With a closing round 69, and an overall -19 score, Hoge is your winner of the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM. One of the most demanding PGA courses, known for its treacherous cliff sides in particular, became the setting for what seemed like a practice run for the now seasoned 32-year-old.

It’s Hoge’s first-ever win on the PGA tour, and an impressive one at that, considering who he had to hold off.

For most of Sunday, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth rallied hard. After the first rounds, he trailed by 11 strokes. Only three people on the PGA Tour had ever completed an equivalent or greater comeback after 36 holes in the last 50 years. He was done, over and out.

Of course, that’s what made Spieth’s comeback inconceivable. He looked earmarked for such history and even took an overall -18 lead on a cool and calm 13th hole birdie.

But, in what is anything but customary for him, Spieth would lose his groove and fade down the stretch. It simply wasn’t his weekend, as much as it seemed like he would pull off the signature career moment. At the same time, with Spieth breathing down his neck — a lot of pressure on anyone, regardless of stature — Hoge was dipping deep into his bag of tricks:

Four birdies on the back nine, including a clincher on 18.

A monumental moment for Hoge, to be sure, considering he wasn’t exactly a household name amongst fans or even his peers. In 2015, during the Wyndham Championship, a now-infamous clip showed Tiger Woods confused at who Hoge was — who was tied with him for the tournament lead at the time.

“What is it? Or him? Or what? I don’t know,” said a perplexed Woods when asked about his reaction to Hoge’s performance. Go and ask Woods and any other golfer now, like Spieth, who Hoge is, and whether he’s someone they play with on a regular basis.

They’ll know, and they’ll tell you this with confidence: Tom Hoge is a deserved winner at Pebble Beach.

How much money each PGA Tour player earned at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour.

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Just ask this week’s winner, Tom Hoge.

The 32-year-old earned his first PGA Tour win on Sunday at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by going low late in his final round on the Monterey Peninsula. Hoge made four birdies over his final eight holes to hold off the likes of 12-time Tour winner Jordan Spieth as well as Patrick Cantlay, Beau Hossler and Troy Merritt to win at 19 under and claim the top prize of $1,566,000.

Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Leaderboard

Prize money payout

Finish Name Score Money
1 Tom Hoge -19 $1,566,000
2 Jordan Spieth -17 $948,300
3 Beau Hossler -16 $600,300
T4 Troy Merritt -15 $391,500
T4 Patrick Cantlay -15 $391,500
T6 Matt Fitzpatrick -14 $293,625
T6 Joel Dahmen -14 $293,625
T6 Andrew Putnam -14 $293,625
T9 Jonathan Byrd -13 $237,075
T9 Pat Perez -13 $237,075
T9 Seamus Power -13 $237,075
T12 Keith Mitchell -12 $193,575
T12 Denny McCarthy -12 $193,575
T14 Christiaan Bezuidenhout -11 $163,125
T14 Nick Taylor -11 $163,125
T16 Adam Hadwin -10 $119,842
T16 Taylor Moore -10 $119,842
T16 Lanto Griffin -10 $119,842
T16 Brendon Todd -10 $119,842
T16 Mackenzie Hughes -10 $119,842
T16 J.J. Spaun -10 $119,842
T16 Robert Garrigus -10 $119,842
T16 Sean O’Hair -10 $119,842
T24 David Lipsky -9 $74,602
T24 Bo Van Pelt -9 $74,602
T24 Dylan Frittelli -9 $74,602
T24 Jason Day -9 $74,602
T28 Nate Lashley -8 $59,595
T28 Ryan Armour -8 $59,595
T28 Trey Mullinax -8 $59,595
T28 Kelly Kraft -8 $59,595
T28 Vaughn Taylor -8 $59,595
T33 Austin Smotherman -7 $43,548
T33 Mark Hubbard -7 $43,548
T33 Russell Knox -7 $43,548
T33 Seth Reeves -7 $43,548
T33 Maverick McNealy -7 $43,548
T33 Satoshi Kodaira -7 $43,548
T33 Greyson Sigg -7 $43,548
T33 Doc Redman -7 $43,548
T33 Jimmy Walker -7 $43,548
T42 Ryan Moore -6 $29,195
T42 Peter Malnati -6 $29,195
T42 Jonas Blixt -6 $29,195
T42 Luke Donald -6 $29,195
T42 Seung-Yul Noh -6 $29,195
T42 Sung Kang -6 $29,195
T42 Austin Cook -6 $29,195
T49 Taylor Pendrith -5 $21,089
T49 Mark Baldwin -5 $21,089
T49 Davis Riley -5 $21,089
T49 Hayden Buckley -5 $21,089
T49 Camilo Villegas -5 $21,089
T49 Curtis Thompson -5 $21,089
T49 Tyler Duncan -5 $21,089
T49 Adam Svensson -5 $21,089
T49 Chris Stroud -5 $21,089
T49 Matthias Schwab -5 $21,089
59 Dylan Wu -4 $19,749
T60 Johnson Wagner -3 $19,488
T60 Brian Stuard -3 $19,488
62 Justin Rose -2 $19,227
63 Ben Kohles -1 $19,053
MDF Matthew NeSmith -4 $18,879
MDF Brandon Hagy -4 $17,748
MDF D.J. Trahan -4 $17,748
MDF Aaron Rai -4 $17,748
MDF Nick Watney -4 $17,748
MDF Wyndham Clark -4 $17,748
MDF Brian Harman -4 $17,748
MDF Chan Kim -4 $17,748
MDF Austin Eckroat -4 $17,748
MDF Sahith Theegala -4 $17,748
MDF David Hearn -4 $17,748
MDF Grayson Murray -4 $17,748
MDF Bill Haas -4 $17,748

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Winner’s Bag: Tom Hoge, 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Check out the clubs that got the job done on the Monterey Peninsula.

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A complete list of the golf equipment Tom Hoge used to win the PGA Tour’s 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am:

DRIVER: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft (From $549 at Global Golf & PGA Tour Superstore)

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TS2 (13.5 degrees), with Fujikura ATMOS Blue 8 X shaft

HYBRID: Titleist 913Hd (18 degrees), with Fujikura Speeder 904 X shaft

IRONS: Titleist 620 CB (4), 620 MB (5-PW), with Project X 6.5 shafts (620 CB from $1,399 at GlobalGolf and MB from $1,399 at GlobalGolf)

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (52, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts

PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot OG Two-Ball (From $269.99 at GlobalGolf) 

BALL: Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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Tom Hoge outlasts Jordan Spieth for first PGA Tour win at 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Hoge went low late in his round to earn his first win on Tour.

Tom Hoge has been flirting with his PGA Tour win since November but on Sunday at Pebble Beach he finally got his date with professional golf destiny.

When Jordan Spieth opened the door late in the final round of the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a bogey on the 17th, Hoge took advantage and slid right in. The 32-year-old shot a final-round 4-under 68, aided by four birdies over his final eight holes, for his first win on Tour.

Entering the week Hoge was either cashing top-five finishes or not even making the weekend. After a T-4 at the RSM Classic in November, Hoge missed the cut in his next start at last month’s Sony Open and turned right around to finish runner-up at the American Express. He continued the trend by missing last week’s cut at the Farmers Insurance Open before another top five this week at Pebble, his third in his last five starts on Tour.

Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Leaderboard

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Jordan Spieth made people sweat, Bill Murray made people laugh on stunning Saturday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

“Am I going to back up out of fear (during the swing) and just kind of thin this in the water?”

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Bill Murray was doing his usual things.

And Jordan Spieth was doing Jordan Spieth things.

Including one dangerous thing.

On another grand day on the Monterey Peninsula, where sunshine regularly broke through numerous clouds, the temperature was comfortable and the breezes soft, Pebble Beach was in all of its glory Saturday and home to the celebrity field in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Leading the party was Murray, who was wearing a dark blue golf glove on the left hand, a bright yellow glove on the right hand. He played to and with the thousands of spectators rimming the course, dropping more jokes than shots taken. He posed for numerous pics, signed a bunch of autographs, even led a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for a fan named Michele.

In other words, the Ghostbusters star was his entertaining self.

But it was the ever-captivating Spieth who took over the stage at one point.

On the side of a cliff.

“I just saw the blimp shot from overhead and it really bothered me,” Spieth said after the round of a shot he hit on the par-4 eighth hole that had hearts racing.

Spieth was inching his way back into the tournament with birdies on his first two holes and then an eagle from three feet on the sixth when he became must-see TV.

His tee shot on the uphill eighth came perilously close to going over the cliff, the ball winding up about two feet from the edge. After studying his options, Spieth spurned his caddie’s wishes to take a drop away from the danger and elected to go for the green by taking the direct route over the cliff.

Trouble was that his left foot was close enough to the cliff’s edge that one slip could prove disastrous, a 100-foot plunge to the bottom in front of him.

Tee times, TV info | ESPN+ streaming info | Leaderboard

Many feared Spieth was tempting death.

“This is a scary shot normally,” CBS analyst Colt Knost said setting up the shot. “But this is downright terrifying.”

With his balance in question, and with dread in the air that a bad follow through could send him over the cliff, Spieth, with about 155 yards to the flagstick, took a mighty whack and the ball ended up just over the green. He chipped to 12 feet and buried the par putt.

“I didn’t realize the severity until I got up to it,” said Spieth, who basically tiptoed up to the ball. “It’s so weird. I never had a situation where you can see a ball, get a swing on it, but you’re not going to play it. So it was just kind of weird because it was like, ‘Well if I can get a swing on it and I can hit it then why would I take a drop? So it’s an unusual situation, normally if you’re walking into a hazard, you see a ball, you hit it out.

“Michael (Greller, his caddie) hated it. He tried to talk me out of it three times. I don’t blame him, looking back. I’m just glad I made the par to make it worth it. I was more like, it was more of a nervous and adrenaline hitting it and then when I got to the green as I was walking there it was more of like an anxiety feeling afterwards, luckily it wasn’t before.”

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And then Jordan kept doing Jordan things by making birdie on the ninth. Another on the 11th. After a three-putt bogey on 13, he came right back and made birdie on the 14th despite driving his ball closer to the sixth fairway than the 14th fairway.

Another birdie came from 12 feet on the 15th. Another from eight feet on the 17th. Another from inside three feet on the 18th and Spieth, the 2017 Pebble champion, signed for a 9-under-par 63 to move within one shot of the lead.

Murray and Spieth weren’t the only stars shining on the Monterey Peninsula.

Beau Hossler, looking for his first PGA Tour title, shot 65 at Pebble Beach and moved to the top of the leaderboard at 15 under. He was joined there by Andrew Putnam, who birdied five consecutive holes on the front nine at Pebble Beach to shoot 68, and first-round leader Tom Hoge, who shot 68 at Spyglass.

“Pebble can give and take so quickly, right? I was glad to be on the receiving end today,” Hossler said. “I hit it well, played really conservatively, frankly, as even though it might not look like it, and was fortunate to not have any misses really get me in significant trouble. It was as fairly stress-free as you can be around here.

“I was lucky to give myself some good looks today and I rolled the putter beautifully. I was able to get in the house pretty clean, didn’t have too much stress and I’m happy with where the game is.”

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Joining Spieth at 14 under was Joel Dahmen, who shot 66 at Spyglass, and Patrick Cantlay, who tied for third last year at Pebble. He is the reigning FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year. In his last four starts, he has two wins and two other top 10s. He continued his fine form with a 68 at Pebble Beach to move to 14 under as he hunts his seventh PGA Tour title.

“I’m in great position and I love this golf course, and everyone will be playing on the same golf course tomorrow so it should be fun,” Cantlay said.

Seamus Power, whose 128 total in the first two rounds set the tournament record, led by a tournament-tying record five shots heading into the third round, but struggled on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula with a 74 to fall to 13 under.

But Spieth and his risky adventure by the cliffs will be remembered the most from all the happenings on Saturday.

As he wrapped up his post-round interview, Spieth was asked how he was going to explain what he did to his wife, Annie, who was with the couple’s newborn son, Sammy, who was attending his first tournament.

“I’m not really sure what’s going to happen there,” Spieth said. “I can’t imagine while she was watching that live. My parents are here too, so not only do I have to explain to my wife, I have to explain to my mom, my dad.”

Well, he did a good job explaining the shot to the media.

“Footing was solid, but I didn’t have much room past where my left foot was, and the problem was it’s down-sloped,” Spieth said. “It’s the downslope that worries you because you’re getting more forward to your left side on a downslope in order to get the strike, right? You want your weight with the slope. I didn’t want my weight with the slope that time.

“I was almost sitting there going is it worth it because, yes, I can get a strike on it, but am I going to back up out of fear (during the swing) and just kind of thin this in the water, you know, like kind of top it.”

But Spieth did have a hard time explaining his action to Greller.

“Michael continued to try and talk me out of it,” Spieth said. “I was just trying to think clearly, like, what are the options here. If I felt like I was in real true danger of losing my life I would have pulled the ball back and dropped it.

“It wasn’t quite that severe. But it was enough to where I certainly couldn’t put a normal swing or shot on it. But (Greller) said that if that were to happen again he’ll walk up, grab my ball and throw it in the water, so that I can’t hit it.

“He said, ‘I should have done that.’”

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Lacking star power, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am still has Seamus Power, others who lit up Monterey Peninsula on ideal day

“It’s hard to be in a bad mood out here,” said Tom Hoge.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The 76th edition of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am lost some of its star power to a conflicting tournament in the Middle East.

Then defending champion and world No. 16 Daniel Berger withdrew late Wednesday with a bad back.

But one name popped from the leaderboard in Thursday’s first round.

And it’s a name that should be remembered. Power, Seamus Power.

On a bright, calm day by the sea, the Irishman with the dynamic surname, who was ranked 438th in the world last April and facing the prospect of losing his playing status on the PGA Tour, continued his fine form with a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 at Spyglass, which included four consecutive birdies to finish the round.

“I know this place always plays the hardest,” Power said. “I’ve always really enjoyed playing Spyglass, it kind of suits my eye and game feels in good shape so I was like, why not? I hit a horrible tee shot on the par-3 5th, had a very good up-and-down to kind of stay at 4 (under) and then just kind of clicked coming in, really, made a couple of very nice putts and a couple of very nice shots.”

Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Leaderboard

Power trails only Tom Hoge, who finished runner-up two weeks ago in the American Express and grabbed the first-round lead with a bogey-free, 9-under-par 63 at Pebble Beach. Hoge, who made six consecutive birdies on his incoming nine, is another player on the rise; he has risen from 114th in the world rankings to 68th since the start of the season.

“It’s hard to be in a bad mood out here,” said Hoge, who is looking for his first PGA Tour title. “I mean, Pebble Beach and perfect weather is about as good as it gets. So it was a lot of fun. I feel like I’ve been playing well. I’ve been excited to get out here on the golf course and feel like Pebble Beach is a golf course that suits me well, so I was excited to get out here this week.

“I made some putts. I switched putters this week (after missing the cut in the Famers Insurance Open). To see one go in right off the bat today on the first hole was huge for me. I felt like I made a lot of good putts out there today, but I felt like I was very close last week, just a very hard golf course (the South at Torrey Pines) out there. I drove it in the rough a few too many times and just didn’t make enough putts. But the margins are so small between missing a cut and being in contention, so you just try to keep a positive attitude and just keep plugging away.”

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Jonas Blixt, who won Tour titles in 2012 and 2013 but has fallen to No. 1,219 in the world rankings, shot 7-under-par 64 on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. Rookie Austin Smotherman, who tied for 11th last week in the Farmers Insurance Open, made two eagles and shot 65 at Pebble Beach.

The biggest name on the first page of the leaderboard was Patrick Cantlay, the reigning FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour player of the year. The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 4, who has two wins and two other top-10s in his most recent four starts, birdied his last three holes to shoot 65 on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula.

“I started off strong and had a weird middle of the round, definitely gave a few away. And then closed really strong. So finishing with three in a row on this golf course is a really nice finish and I’m happy with my start for the week,” he said. “I really like it up here. It’s just so beautiful. And when we get a week like this with good weather it’s the best.”

Also at 65 at Monterey Peninsula was Andrew Putnam.

“I mean this course is incredible. I feel like you could sleep on the fairways, they’re like just perfect,” Putnam said.

Former world No. 1 Jason Day, who has eight top-7 finishes without a victory in the tournament, shot 68 at Pebble.

Jordan Spieth, the three-time major winner who won this event in 2017, shot 68 at Monterey Peninsula.

Power’s emergence began when he strung together five consecutive top-20 finishes beginning last May, then won the Barbasol Championship in July. In his last seven starts on the PGA Tour, he has six top-15 results, including three in as many starts this year. He is now ranked 50th in the world.

“It’s always funny with the three courses,” he said. “Obviously it’s great to have a good start but you’re on to a completely different challenge. (Friday) I’m playing Pebble at 8:40 and it’s going to be a completely different course to today.

“So kind of makes it easier to reset and so hopefully we can kind of keep doing the same thing tomorrow.”

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