He can thrive by changing course(s)
Lebioda has lead at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Changes in weather and fortunes can happen without notice in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which seems to suit Hank Lebioda just fine these days.
Playing his sixth different course in his last six rounds on the PGA Tour, Lebioda ran off six birdies in an eight-hole stretch for an 8-under 63 on the Shore course at Monterey Peninsula and a one-shot lead after the opening round Thursday.
His big advantage was finishing before a pleasant day of mostly sunny, relatively calm conditions gave way to wind strong enough to bend flagsticks and force players to remove caps before they putted so they wouldn’t blow off.
Lebioda was among six players from the leading 12 scores who have yet to win on the PGA Tour. He doesn’t have a good recipe for success in tournaments with multiple courses except to be prepared for anything.
“This would be eight courses in three weeks for us,” said Lebioda, who missed the cut in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and The American Express. “Three courses in Palm Springs, two last week in San Diego and three this week. So the best thing you can do is take care of yourself, relax and make sure you’re good to go.”
Three of the top four scores to par were at Monterey Peninsula. Kurt Kitayama made four straight birdies around the turn and had a bogey-free 64, while Harry Hall made five straight birdies and was tied for the lead until a late bogey on No. 8. He also had 64.
“Coming down the last two holes it started to blow 45 miles an hour,” Hall said. “It was crazy. Happy to get in at 7 under today.”
Chad Ramey had a 7-under 65 at Pebble Beach. He was tied for the lead until going into the front bunker on the par-3 17th and taking bogey.
The best score at Spyglass Hill belonged to Keith Mitchell at 5-under 67. It was the only course where the average score was over par. Mitchell was alongside a pair of NFL quarterbacks. His amateur partner is Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, whose caddie is Kyle Allen of the Houston Texans.
The change in weather was not terribly severe — it’s not like it snowed. Even so, it caused havoc among those trying to finish at Pebble Beach, the most exposed of the courses.
Will Gordon was tied for the lead to par at 8 under with three holes to play. From the middle of the 16th fairway into a strengthening wind, he came up 35 yards short of the back pin and made bogey. Dead into the wind on the par-3 17th to a right pin — the easiest location for three days to account for amateurs — he was some 30 yards short and dropped another shot.
He finished with a triple bogey. In three holes, he went from tied for the lead to a tie for 24th.
NOT THIS ACE: The NFL’s San Francisco 49ers can cross Aaron Rodgers off their offseason wish list — if they ever considered adding him in the first place.
The former Cal quarterback cracked a smile Thursday during a hole-in-one challenge at the Pro-Am when he was asked if he wanted to break any news to a nationwide TV audience.
“I’m not going to San Fran,” said the 39-year-old Rodgers, who is weighing his future with the Green Bay Packers.
And with that, he killed any rumors before they really began. He took his swing and landed a nice shot, but didn’t hit the bottom of the cup.
The 49ers, who have Trey Lance and Brock Purdy on rookie-scale contracts, seemed quite unlikely to pursue Rodgers via trade with Green Bay. Rodgers is set to be paid more than $59 million next season, with a cap hit of $31.6 million, per Spotrac.com.