Daly shines bright with 65 at Pebble
Two-time major champ stands out on stunning day.
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. — Sunshine is always a pleasant surprise at Pebble Beach, and Thursday brought a real stunner: John Daly was near the top of the leaderboard.
With his best opening round on the PGA Tour in nearly 10 years, Daly kept a clean card at Pebble Beach on a magnificent day along the Monterey Peninsula for a 7-under 65, leaving him one shot behind J.B. Holmes and Justin Hicks in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Daly won an exhibition in Turkey last year. The last official win for the two-time major champion was at Torrey Pines in 2004. So when Daly rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on his final hole, one of the volunteers wasn’t joking when he said, “Daly is at 7 under? On his own?”
Daly laughed when he heard that. Then again, this day could put anyone in a good mood.
“To have weather like this now — it’s supposed to be like this all week — it is absolutely incredible,” said Jim Furyk, who made his 2015 debut with a 64 at Monterey Peninsula. It’s already one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to and then to have weather like this, it’s just spectacular.”
Hicks and Holmes each shot 8-under 64 at Pebble Beach, typically the easiest course in the rotation in benign conditions.
Furyk, former Pebble winner Brandt Snedeker and Chesson Hadley were at 7-under 64 at Monterey Peninsula, while J. J. Henry and Dudley Hart joined Daly at 65 at Pebble Beach. The low score at Spyglass Hill belonged to Alex Prugh at 6-under 66. Daly, however, caused the biggest stir. It was his best start since a 64 in the Byron Nelson Championship in 2005.
He can deliver a good round — or win a major, for that matter — out of nowhere. Still, this wouldn’t seem to be the place for it. Daly tied for 20th at Pebble Beach in his rookie season in 1991 and he hasn’t made the cut in 10 tries since then. And he still hasn’t.
“That wouldn’t shock me,” Daly said when told of his record. “I still haven’t made it yet.”
Next up is a trip to Monterey Peninsula, and Daly isn’t sure what to expect. Part of him was still in shock over the colors — emerald green on the fairways, blue in the ocean and that big yellow ball in the sky, always a welcome guest.
Of course, he had those colors and more in the pattern of his pants, which Daly said is called “In the Jungle.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t shoot something in jungle today,” he said.
It was a simple round, or at least he made it look that way. Daly missed only three fairways and took 26 putts, two areas that have cost him over the years. And for all the great golf he played, he couldn’t stop talking about the weather. He usually only sees Pebble like this on a postcard.
“It’s just great to be able to come out here and not have to survive the weather and survive the golf course,” he said. “But we’ll just see what happens.”
It wasn’t clear if he was talking about the weather or his game. ■ Derrick Rose had 30 points and seven assists for Chicago, which won without injured All-Star Jimmy Butler. Tony Snell added 22 points, Pau Gasol had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Joakim Noah had 15 rebounds. LeBron James led Cleveland with 31 points. ■ Sacramento reached an agreement in principle with George Karl to become coach. Karl is expected to coach the Kings in their first game after the All-Star break at home against Boston on Feb. 20. ■ Carmelo Anthony told ESPN Radio that “it’s very likely” he will end his season after the All-Star game and have surgery on his left knee. He said he will play Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden“even if it’s a few minutes.” ■ Dirk Nowitzki will replace injured New Orleans forward Anthony Davis on the Western Conference All-Star team. ■ Anthony Mason, 48, a bruising power forward who played for the Nets, Nuggets, Knicks, Hornets, Heat and Bucks during a 14-year career, is in critical condition following a massive heart attack.