Bhatia and Hisatsune tie for Pebble Beach lead as amateur participants depart

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Distant from the unfounded expectations of Taylor Swift attending Pebble Beach, Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune quietly focused on their game at Spyglass Hill, ultimately sharing the lead on Friday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am.

Bhatia played without a bogey over two days at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, benefiting from dry conditions, a gentle breeze, and soft greens that facilitated excellent scoring on both courses. He recorded six birdies and made an eagle by chipping in from 50 feet on the 14th hole, finishing with a score of 64.

Hisatsune, who began with a 62 at Pebble Beach, encountered difficulties in the middle of his round with back-to-back bogeys, which he balanced out with sufficient birdies (and one eagle) both before and after, concluding with a 67.

They both stood at 15-under 129, marking the lowest 36-hole total since the tournament adopted a two-course format in 2024 as a signature event.

Rickie Fowler (64) and Sam Burns (67), both competing at Spyglass Hill, trailed by one shot. Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, and defending champion Rory McIlroy were also in contention. Scottie Scheffler found his rhythm by finishing his last seven holes at 5 under for a 66, although the world’s top-ranked player was still nine shots behind as the weekend approached.

“I’d say ‘inched’ would be the operative word there,” Scheffler remarked regarding his progress. “We’ll see how it shakes out at the end of the day. I mean, it’s going to take two pretty special rounds, really three special rounds, but you’re never out of it. We’ll see what happens with the weather.”

The primary speculation on Friday revolved not around the weather, but whether Swift would appear to support her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, at Pebble Beach.

A large crowd gathered, creating significant excitement. However, Swift was absent, reportedly in town but not on the golf course. Her presence still contributed to a surge in ticket sales — $60,000 when Kelce was announced as part of the amateur field, and an additional $21,000 in the 12 hours leading up to his appearance at Pebble.

“It was busy without her,” said Mackenzie Hughes, who played in the group. “With her, I think it would have literally been pandemonium.”

The only chaos was in tracking who was scoring well and where. The best weather occurred on Thursday, and it was no surprise that the leading four players competed at Pebble Beach that day.

“I thought that yesterday was a good day to be out here,” Spieth stated after finishing with a 68 at Pebble Beach. “It got decently challenging towards the end here today, but the greens are so receptive and they’re not super fast out here right now.”

“Pebble’s going to show more of its teeth the next two days.”

This signature event does not feature a 36-hole cut, except for Kelce, Pau Gasol, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and the other amateurs.

Bhatia, who tied for third in the Phoenix Open last week, has now gone 44 holes without a bogey over his last three rounds.

“Bogey-free around these golf courses is great,” Bhatia commented. “Greens can get bumpy, and you can face some really tough putts due to the slope on the greens. So I’ve been really steady inside 5 to 6 feet. … It’s just fun when you feel like you’re in a groove.”

McIlroy has been working to find his form in his first U.S. start this year. He encountered two three-putt double bogeys from 4 feet that hindered his performance at Spyglass Hill. He began well and was showing promise early on the back nine at Pebble Beach until he mishit a chip into a bunker from a challenging position right of the green on the par-5 14th, resulting in a bogey.

“I feel like I’ve been a little bit wasteful the last two days and maybe not capitalized on those great starts,” said McIlroy, who was six shots behind.

Scheffler felt he was not scoring effectively on Thursday, and he experienced more of the same at Spyglass Hill until a series of good shots, solid putts, and a chip-in for eagle on the par-5 seventh hole. He was nine shots behind, facing the additional challenge of extending his streak of 17 consecutive finishes in the top 10. He was tied for 33rd.

All players will head to Pebble Beach for the final two rounds, and Hisatsune anticipates he may not encounter the same course where he shot 62 on Thursday.

“Hopefully, no wind,” Hisatsune expressed.

One thing was certain — the wind had a better chance of appearing than Taylor Swift.