Irishman sets Pebble mark
Power cards 64s in 1st two rounds to hit 16 under
Even for being located next to the ocean, the iconic finishing hole at Pebble Beach is short for par 5s by modern standards. That didn’t keep Seamus Power, who has plenty of pop, from taking an iron off the tee and playing it as a three-shot hole.
Power knew what he was doing. He wrapped up a sublime display with his wedges Friday with a 4-foot birdie, his 10th of the round, to set a 36-hole record in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Monterey Peninsula in California.
The 34-year-old Irishman had another 8-under 64 — the seventh time in 14 rounds this year he has been at 65 or lower — and built a five-shot lead to par.
“My wedge play was great,” Power said. “I had three or four shots I hit very, very close and the way I’ve been putting — they were not gimme birdies, but certainly ones you would expect to make — it just changes your whole complex of your round, of your score.”
That score was 16-under 128 over rounds at Spyglass Hill Thursday and Pebble Beach Friday, both under as magnificent weather as the Monterey Peninsula can provide.
Power broke the 36-hole tournament record previously held by Nick Taylor (14-under 129) in 2020 and Phil Mickelson (15-under 129) in 2005.
Tom Hoge could only manage a 69 at Monterey Peninsula and was at 11-under 132 along with Adam Svensson of Canada (63 at Monterey Peninsula) and Andrew Putnam (67 at Spyglass).
Patrick Cantlay again was slowed by a back-toback bogeys. Four of his six birdies were on the par 5s at Spyglass, and he had a 68 thatleft him six shots behind to par.
Jason Day, who tied for third at Torrey Pines last week to at least get back inside the top 100 in the world, had a 66 at Monterey Peninsula and was still in the mix at 9-under 134. He was joined by a relative surprise, Sean O’Hair, working himself back from a torn oblique. O’Hair has opened with two 67s.
Two share Saudi lead
Defending champion Dustin Johnson shot a 1over 71 to fall six strokes behind co-leaders Harold Varner III and Adri Arnaus at the Saudi International after a windy second round in King Abdullah Economic City,Saudi Arabia.
Varner and Arnaus carded 66s to reach 10-under overall while Johnson finished his front nine with back-to-back bogeys and dropped another shot on No. 16 — to go with his two birdies — in pursuit of a thirdvictory at the event.
Cameron Smith (66) and Matthew Wolff (67) were two strokes off the lead at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, and Tommy Fleetwood’s 67 left him a further shot back, alone in fifth place.
Arnaus, a Spaniard who played at Texas A&M, had seven birdies. His three bogeyscame on the front nine.
Bryson DeChambeau withdrew before the second round because of left hand and left hip injuries. He opened Thursday with a 3over73.
Two atop Drive On
Leona Maguire and Marina Alex shared the lead in theLPGA Drive On Championship after another windy round at Crown Colony in FortMyers, Fla.
Maguire birdied the par-5 18th for a 7-under 65, and Alex closed with birdies on the par-4 eighth and par-5 ninth for a 66. They were at 13-under 131 with a round left.
Maguire had six birdies in a 10-hole stretch in the middle of her bogey-free round.
“Just been playing really solid, taking advantage of the shorter holes,” Maguire said. “My wedges have been really dialed in. Just staying really patient. I think that’s been the theme of the last two weeks in general with the wind we’ve been getting. Taking your chance where you get them, taking the pars on the tougher holes playinginto the wind. ”
The 27-year-old Irish player is winless on the LPGATour.
Alex, tied for the firstround lead with Nasa Hataoka after a 65, had seven birdies and a bogey. The 31year-old American won the 2018 Portland Classic for her loneLPGA Tour title.