Hisatsune tops the leaderboard at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; Gotterup trails by two strokes.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Chris Gotterup has extended his streak to nine consecutive birdies over two rounds played on two distinctly different courses.
He concluded with an 8-under 64 on Thursday during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, placing him two strokes behind Ryo Hisatsune on a day characterized by beautiful weather and low scores for nearly all participants, with Scottie Scheffler being the exception, finishing with an even-par 72.
Gotterup, who has already secured two victories this year, recorded three consecutive birdies to cap off his win at the Phoenix Open last week, with the final birdie coming in a playoff. Transitioning from the warmth of the desert to the cool coastal air of California, and from smooth greens to poa annua, his performance remained consistent.
A short birdie putt on the first hole, a 10-footer on the par-5 second, and nearly holing a wedge on the third hole marked the beginning of his round. By the sixth hole, he had already accumulated six birdies.
“I was kind of just coasting along,” Gotterup remarked. “You don’t really realize it in the moment, and then when you look up you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m 6 under through six.’ That’s nice.”
He became the first golfer in the past 25 years to start a PGA Tour event with six consecutive birdies following a victory in his previous tournament. Overall, he is the eighth player in the last 25 years to begin a tour event with at least six straight birdies or better.
However, this was still not sufficient to surpass Hisatsune, who is coming off two strong weeks, including a second-place finish at Torrey Pines that qualified him for this $20 million marquee event. He recorded three consecutive birdies early in his round, made the only birdie on the par-4 ninth, and concluded with three straight birdies for a 62 at Pebble Beach.
He was one stroke ahead of Keegan Bradley and Sam Burns. Bradley played at Spyglass Hill, where the course average was approximately one-and-a-half shots higher than Pebble Beach.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, in his first PGA Tour appearance of the year, recorded two three-putt double bogeys on the par 5s at Spyglass, resulting in a score of 68.
Bradley chipped in from just off the green on No. 8 at Spyglass for a birdie-eagle-birdie sequence, maintaining a clean scorecard for the best score on a course that typically presents the toughest challenge in calm conditions.
“It’s about as nice of a day as I’ve ever seen out here,” Bradley stated. “The greens are soft, but that makes them a bit bumpy, too. So some of the putts are a little tricky, but definitely scoring is good.”
Pebble Beach can be forgiving with no wind, especially on the first seven holes. This is where Hisatsune (five birdies) and Gotterup (six) capitalized.
Scheffler, on the other hand, did not fare as well.
His round began with a clump of mud on his ball in the fairway on the par-5 second, causing his shot to veer about 30 yards left of the green. He managed only one birdie during that initial stretch, and a strong breeze was mostly against him on the return. Additionally, he was not particularly sharp.
He hit only two approach shots within 10 feet (missing both), and did not make a putt longer than 8 feet throughout his round.
“I guess the challenge is making a bunch of birdies. That was a challenge for me today,” Scheffler commented. “I’m looking at the leaderboard right now and it looks like 7 under gets you in the top 10, so scores are pretty low.”
Scheffler also encountered difficulties in Round 1 of the Phoenix Open, posting a 2-over 73 before recovering to contend over the weekend.
This marks the first instance he has shot even or worse in the first round of consecutive tour starts since May 2021 at the PGA Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge.
Burns also did not capitalize on the early holes. However, he birdied No. 8 over the ocean with an aggressive approach that landed 12 feet away between the back pin and the right bunker. As the wind picked up slightly, he recorded five birdies in a six-hole stretch to start the back nine, including a pitch-in from just under 30 yards on the 13th.
Burns led the field in putting, aided by successful attempts from 45 feet on No. 10 and 30 feet on No. 17, while avoiding any bogeys.
“I made a significant amount of putts and feel like I was hitting it pretty nice. It was a good combination for today,” Burns noted.
Tony Finau and Patrick Rodgers each carded 64 at Spyglass, joining Gotterup in a tie for fourth. Former Pebble champions Nick Taylor and Tom Hoge were in the group at 65. Another stroke back was Jordan Spieth, who made an eagle at Spyglass by holing out a full wedge.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
