Ninety-seven players broke par on an absolutely perfect Thursday during the first round of the 2018 Pebble Beach Pro-Am. All three courses played under par, including the usually formidable Spyglass Hill (71.231 scoring average).
“I love the golf courses and this tournament,” said Phil Mickelson. “Playing on days like this makes it just spectacular.”
Here are five things that excited us on a spectacular Thursday:
1. WHO’S WINNING? HOSSLER, STREELMAN STREAK TO THE TOP AT 7-UNDER.
Remember Beau Hossler? The 17-year-old briefly led the 2012 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club during the second round. Now a freshly minted pro, the 22-year-old Hossler drained nearly 100 feet of putts on Nos. 16 and 17 at Pebble Beach to finish off a bogey-free 7-under 65.
Two-time PGA TOUR winner Kevin Streelman also closed with a fury, finishing with back-to-back birdies to punctuate his bogey-free 7-under 65 at Spyglass Hill.
Aaron Wise, the 2016 NCAA Individual and Team champion with the Oregon Ducks, shot a bogey-free 65 as well, but it was of the 6-under variety at the par-71 Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
2. THE BIG NAMES ARE IN THE HUNT.
Kuch. DJ. Rory. Rahm. Day. Lefty. Woodland. Bubba. They all broke 70.
Stars with work to do? Jordan Spieth (E), Luke Donald (+3), Patrick Reed (+3), Padraig Harrington (+4) and Adam Scott (+5).
3. CANTLAY CANS ACE ON NO. 11 AT MPCC TO JUMP-START 5-UNDER 66.
Sadly, no video is available. But Patrick Cantlay started birdie-eagle thanks to the ace en route to a scorching 5-under 32 on his first nine at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Couse.
The ace also brings up a great bar-stool debate: if you could have a hole-in-one on any par-3 in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am rotation, which would you choose? Nos. 7 or 17 at Pebble Beach? No. 3 at Spyglass Hill? Or perhaps the picturesque No. 11 at MPCC?
4. PEBBLE BEACH IS IN JIM NANTZ’S BACK YARD — LITERALLY.
Jim Nantz goes for winning shot in tournament we held in his backyard. pic.twitter.com/k9GnpH6Z2b
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) February 8, 2018
This tournament is a home game for CBS announcer Jim Nantz, who can practically walk to the 18th green tower from where he lives. Nantz actually has a replica of No. 7 (sans ocean) at Pebble Beach in his back yard, but he takes it to another level with the omnipresent tinkling of the Masters soundtrack piped in.
Even better? When you’re Jim Nantz and can announce your own shots to win tournaments you call — like The Masters.
5. HOW DO YOU MOVE A 465,000 POUND CYPRESS TREE?
We’re not sure what the record is, but in 2002, it took five hours to move the cypress tree that stands sentry protecting the 18th green from the first hole. Check out this great footage the PGA TOUR dug up of the mile-long journey.
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