Phil Mickelson is trying to join Mark O’Meara with a record five victories in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he’s well on his way.
Mickleson shot 4-under-par 68 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course www.pebblebeach.com/golf/spyglass-hill-golf-course and was tied for the lead with Jordan Spieth, Paul Casey of England, Lucas Glover and first-round co-leader Scott Langley when rain halted the second round on the Monterey Peninsula.
The players who were still on the three tournament courses when the end came on Friday will return early on Saturday morning to finish the second round and hopefully the weather will permit round three to start on time.
The 49-year-old Mickelson bounced back from three straight bogeys by making his seventh birdie of the day while finishing on the ninth hole and carded a 36-hole total of 10-under 133.
“I grew up in California, so I’m use to putting on poa annua greens,” said Lefty, who won at Pebble Beach in 1998, 2005, 2007 and 2012. “That’s an adjustment a lot of guys have to figure out and it can be a big adjustment.
“Even though last year was disappointing, something happened when my driver speed went up near the end of the year. That’s why I was optimistic heading into the new year. I think that’s going to lead to some good things.”
Spieth, who won the tournament in 2017, was a bogey-free 5-under through 16 holes for the day at Spyglass Hill when the end came, while Casey totaled 7-under at Monterey Peninsula Country Club www.mpccpb.org, Glover finished at 6-under 66 at Pebble Beach Golf Links www.pebblebeach.com and Langley had a 3-under 69 at Spyglass Hill.
Jason Day of Australia was 3-under for 15 holes at Spyglass Hill and alone in sixth at 9-under, while Scott Piercy was two strokes back in solo seventh at 6-under through 15 holes at Monterey Peninsula and 8-under for the tournament.
Rafa Cabrera Bello shot 68 at Pebble Beach and was three behind in a tie for eighth with Jonas Blixt of Sweden (69 at Pebble Beach), Branden Grace of South Africa (69 at Monterey Peninsula), Matt Every (71 at Spyglass Hill), first-round co-leader Brian Gay (72 at Spyglass Hill), Scott Stallings (70 at Pebble Beach) and Kevin Kisner (71 at Spyglass Hill).
Third-ranked Dustin Johnson was 2-over for the round after 16 holes at Spyglass Hill and in a tie for 45th at 3-under, while defending champion Ted Potter Jr., who opened with an 82 at Spyglass Hill, was 2-over after 17 holes at Pebble Beach and in a tie for 153rd at 12-over for the tournament.
For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
