Gusty winds were more than just a threat at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Two holes in one course halted the tournament on Saturday and ended Monday without 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 just as he thought he was off the hook through the holes in the sea, the horn was blown to stop the game.
“We knew going into today that they were going to be tough holes. It was going to be potentially the toughest stretch all week,” Mitchell said. “If we can make it through that stretch in a relatively good score , then I’ll be ready for the weekend.”
He got it done, and after a big drive at No. 11, with the wind at his back, he suddenly had the rest of the day off.
Peter Malnati topped the leaderboard at 12-under with six holes in his round at Pebble Beach. He started in good conditions on the back nine by the sea when play stopped, and was on the fourth green, carding three straight birdies.
Mitchell, playing with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Joseph Bramlett, playing with Welsh football star Gareth Bell, were at 10 under.
Kurt Kitayama, the 36-hole leader, and Hank Labioda were three shots behind. They were in Spyglass Hill.
The culprit was the Shore Course on the Monterey Peninsula, specifically the oceanfront stretch. PGA Tour chief referee Gary Young began receiving reports that balls were hitting the green. He said that an amateur made a putt and the wind began to carry it back to the player.
With a three-course rotation, play has to stop on all three courses. The PGA Tour was expected to resume later in the afternoon, except that the wind was persistent and the forecast provided no optimism.
The third round was to resume on Sunday morning, and amateurs had the option of returning and completing a Pro-Am which would 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 practicing in the rain and wind this afternoon when everyone was inside,” she said. “I can’t imagine him not showing up. The weather’s going to be better tomorrow morning than it is in Buffalo at this time, I can promise you that.”
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the go-to running back. His partner is Ben Silverman of Canada, and he was 25-under par. This would point to some amazing golf by Rodgers, who plays to the 10 handicap and is getting limited help from Silverman, who was 2 over for the tournament.
The 54-hole cut is usually a top 60 for 25 novices. Now it will be back to the top 65 and ties, and it will be professionals only for the final round. Young expects a lead group heading into nine holes.
Monday’s finish will mark the second time Pebble hasn’t been decided on a Sunday since Tiger Woods came from five shots behind to win in 2000. Phil Mickelson had to play two holes on Monday morning to win in 2019, and Dustin Johnson was declared 54. In Hole Winner 2009, the final round could not be played on Monday.
Wind was expected later in the day, one reason for the one-hour increase in starting times. The weather on Pebbles, however, is rarely predictable.
This round came about three hours after it started, and it was awful.
Mitchell hit a drive on the par-5 sixth and was 235 yards up the hill, and he came in 30 yards from the green. Then came the picturesque par-3 seventh down the chip 8-iron hill.
With the wind and his back to the eighth, with the second shot searing a corner, Allen hit a 6-iron off the tee, and then he hit another 6-iron on the fringe to 12 feet. Mitchell and Allen were six shots behind Rodgers.
For others, survival was difficult. Jordan Spieth thought he needed to stay 3rd or 4th down through the opening stretch at Pebble. The wind appeared on the par-3 fifth, where Spieth left it in the bunker and made bogey. He shot 39 with a bogey and a double bogey on the front nine to leave him well over the cut line.
Mitchell had the toughest stretch of pebbles in the wind, but it was tough everywhere. Bramlett, who played college golf at Stanford, drove 136 yards into the wind on the No. 9 and hit an 8-iron short of the green. On the par-5 14th, with the wind at his back, he was 210 yards down the hill and hit an 8-iron over the green.
“It’s a guessing game,” Bramlett said. “We’re just doing our best.”