Wind stifles round at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — A strong wind was more than a menace at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am. It brought the tournament to a halt Saturday and set up a Monday finish without the amateurs.

Keith Mitchell made it through the worst stretch of wind, so strong that he hit an 8-iron on the 106-yard seventh hole. And right when he thought he was off the hook by getting through the ocean holes, the horn blew to stop play.

“We knew going into today that those were going to be the tough holes. That was going to be the hardest stretch potentially all week,” Mitchell said.

After a big drive on No. 11 with the wind at his back, he had the rest of the day off.

Peter Malnati was atop the leaderboard at 12 under par with six holes left in his round at Pebble Beach. He started on the back nine along the ocean in benign conditions and was on the fourth green, coming off three straight birdies, when play stopped.

Mitchell, playing alongside Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Las Vegas resident Joseph Bramlett, playing with Welsh soccer star Gareth Bale, were at 10 under.

UNLV product Kurt Kitayama, the 36-hole leader, and Hank Lebioda were three shots behind. They were at Spyglass Hill.

The culprit was the Shore course at Monterey Peninsula, particularly the stretch that runs along the ocean. Gary Young, the PGA Tour’s chief referee, received reports that balls were moving on the greens.

With a three-course rotation, play has to stop at all three courses. The PGA Tour was hopeful of restarting later in the afternoon, except the wind was relentless and the forecast didn’t provide optimism.

The third round was to resume Sunday morning, and the amateurs had the option to return and complete a pro-am that will be only 54 holes.

The 54-hole cut typically is top 60 to account for the 25 amateurs. Now it will revert to top 65 and ties, and it will be professionals only for the final round.