Rookie Andrew Loupe, who missed the cut in his previous five events of the 2013-14 season, posted a bogey-free 8-under-par 63 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club to take a two-stroke lead over five players before the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was halted by darkness.
Play was stopped for three hours earlier in the day because of rain.
“I just keep telling myself, you’re supposed to be here, you’re going to play good, just keep playing,” said Loupe, who earned his PGA Tour card finishing 32nd on the 2013 Web.com Tour money list thanks to tying for sixth in the circuit’s Tour Championship.
“And this is just one round, guys, you know, but I feel good.”
The 25-year-old Loupe, a 2011 graduate of LSU where he was a two-time All-American, was 3-under at the turn before making birdies on five of the first eight holes on the back nine of Monterey Peninsula’s Shore Course.
Stuart Appleby of Australia, Jim Renner, Richard H. Lee and Scott Gardiner of Australia all posted 65s at Monterey Peninsula.
Jimmy Walker, the FedEx Cup points leader, recorded a 6-under 66 at Pebble Beach and Jordan Spieth had a 5-under 67, best score of the day at Spyglass Hill, and was in a tie for seventh.
Phil Mickelson, who has won the tournament four times, was 5-under through 15 holes at Monterey Peninsula when darkness came, while two-time winner Dustin Johnson recorded a 68 at Spyglass Hill.
Graeme McDowell, who won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble, shot 71 at Spyglass, and defending champion Brandt Snedeker played Spyglass in 72.
