Nick Taylor must hold off the likes of Phil Mickelson and Jason Day for one more round to claim his second victory on the PGA Tour.
The 31-year-old Canadian shot 3-under-par 69 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course www.pebblebeach.com/golf/spylgass-spyglass-hill-golf-course and will take a one-stroke lead over Mickelson into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which will be played entirely at famed Pebble Beach Golf Links www.pebblebeach.com.
“It was cold this morning and the course was playing tough, but I don’t think I hit many bad shots,” said Taylor, who captured the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship. “I knew it wouldn’t get away from me because it was playing tough for everybody.
“I have to keep going what I’ve been doing, I know it’s a cliché. It will be tough playing in the final group will be tough, but I’ve been there before. I know it’s been a long time, but having won before definitely helps and gives me confidence that I can do it again.”
Taylor, who led by two strokes after each of the first days, stumbled out of the gate with birdies on two of his first four holes to lose his lead after starting on the 10th hole at Spyglass, but played the last 10 holes in 4-under highlight by a hole-out eagle on the seventh hole to post a 54-hole total of 17-under 198.
Mickelson holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 13th hole, chipped in for birdie on the next hole and scrambled for yet another birdie on the final hole at Pebble to post a 67 that included only 22 putts.
“The course was not playing easy because of the wind and the greens being firm, but it you miss on the correct side you have a chance to get up-and-down,” said Lefty, who last year tied Mark O’Meara’s AT&T Pebble Beach record of five victories. “You just have to find a way to get the ball into the hole sometimes.
“Now it’s about playing one more good round on a difficult course, but if you play well you can post a low score. I just want to get off to a good start and have a chance. To play Pebble Beach with a chance to win is just a lot of fun.”
Day, who has finished sixth or better at Pebble Beach on six occasions winning, held the lead at one stage but two bogeys in a 70 at Spyglass Hill left him three shots back in solo third.
“I would have liked to shoot in the 60s, but the conditions were tough this morning and I made a couple mental errors,” said the Aussie. “But shooting 70 keeps me in the mix for tomorrow. Hope to be holding the trophy at the end of the day.”
Matt Every totaled 3-under-par 68 on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club https://www.mpccpb.org and is six down in a tie for fourth with Kevin Streelman, who had six birdies on the front nine at Pebble in a 68, while Peter Malnati is seven back in solo sixth after a 66 at Monterey Peninsula.
Fifth-ranked Dustin Johnson, a two-time AT&T champion, shot 72 at Pebble Beach and is one more behind in a tie for seventh with Lanto Griffin (71 at Pebble Beach), Charl Schwartzel of South Africa (73 at Spyglass Hill), Scott Piercy (72 at Spyglass Hill) and Matt Jones of Australia (65 at Monterey Peninsula).
Eighth-ranked Patrick Cantlay of Los Alamitos and UCLA is tied for 12th after a 72 at Pebble Beach.
For complete results visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
