Cantlay starts hot with 64 at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Patrick Cantlay loves playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 31-year-old Southern California native has traditionally been a fast starter at this event. He entered the week owning a career first-round scoring average of 65.8, including shooting 62 in 2021, and only once has been outside the 60s.
On Thursday, he was better than average, posting a bogey-free 8-under-par 64 at Spyglass Hill. Cantlay, who started on the back nine, carded four birdies in a row starting at No. 17 to jump to the top of the leaderboard. His eagle chip at the par-5 seventh came out hot and rattled off the flagstick, a fortuitous break that set up a kick-in birdie. Cantlay, the 2021 FedExCup champion, finished with birdies on two of his last three holes, leaving a birdie putt at the last just short but still took just 24 putts on the day.
Cantlay is comfortable playing on the Monterey Peninsula, having never missed the cut in six starts here and has five top-25 finishes at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he is co-owner of the course record. But victory has eluded him. He’s finished T-3 and T-4 in his last two starts at this event. Cantlay, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, would like to get his first win at Pebble and also grab his first win anywhere since the 2022 BMW Championship,
With the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am becoming a signature event this year, the field has been reduced to 80 pros playing with an amateur partner and two courses in play – Pebble Beach and Spyglass – rather than three. Cantlay took advantage of playing his first round at Spyglass, where eight of the top 10 lowest scoring rounds were shot. Sunshine prevailed during the opening round as the tree-lined Spyglass course served as a buffer on a blustery day.
“When we looked at the forecast yesterday it actually looked bad,” said Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who shot 3-under 69 at Pebble Beach. “When we were still on the range it was like sunny and no wind. Yeah, luckily I took advantage of it on the front nine and when the wind picked up on the back nine.”
At one point Thursday, Rory McIlroy held sole possession of the lead. However, at day’s end, his score took a hit thanks to a penalty.
Before signing his scorecard, McIlroy was assessed a two-shot penalty for an improper drop on the par-5 seventh hole at Spyglass Hill. McIlroy’s drive was wayward on the hole, and he had to take an unplayable. His drop came under further scrutiny and it was determined to be illegal, so what he thought was a bogey 6 turned into a triple-bogey 8.
McIlroy was 6 under through 14 holes, then he went bogey-bogey-triplebogey and signed for a 1-under 71.