Nick Taylor of Canada played relative obscurity on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club https://www.mpccpb.org in the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and took advantage of picture perfect weather on the Monterey Peninsula.
The 31-year-old Taylor birdied the last two holes while finishing on the front nine and posted a bogey-free, 8-under-par 63 to take a two-stroke lead over eighth-ranked Patrick Cantlay and rookie Chase Seiffert.
Taylor, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship, started his day with an eagle on the 10th hole and then made two straight birdies three times in his flawless round.
“A nice start,” Taylor said of his 4-iron that set up the eagle that kicked off his lowest round on the tour. “The weather helps out. If it’s raining, it’s windy, five-and-a-half hours is a long round.
“But we were very relaxed today, joked all day, and I felt like the mood was great.”
Cantlay, from Los Alamitos and UCLA, collected five of his nine birdies on the back nine of a 6-under 66 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course www.pebblebeach.com/golf/spylgass-spyglass-hill-golf-course.
“I played really well,” said Cantlay, who started the new year by finishing solo fourth in the Sony Tournament of Champions. “I drove the ball well, had a lot of short irons into the greens and made some putts.
“I’m really comfortable here, really enjoy coming back every year and could see myself retiring at Pebble Beach some day.”
Seiffert, who won the 2012 Florida Open as an amateur for his only victory in a pro tournament, shot a bogey-free, 6-under-par 66 at host course Pebble Beach Golf Links www.pebblebeach.com, making an eagle at the famed 18th hole after starting on the back nine.
Charley Hoffman of Poway shot 5-under 67 at Spyglass Hill and is three back in a big tie for fourth with Max Homa of Valencia and Cal (67, Skyglass Hill); Ricky Barnes of Stockton (5-under 66, Monterey Peninsula), Harold Varner III (5-under 67 at Pebble Beach); Richy Werenski (66, Monterey Peninsula); Robert Streb (67, Pebble Beach); Lanto Griffin (67, Spyglass Hill), and Harry Higgs (66, Monterey Peninsula).
Defending champion Phil Mickelson, who won at Pebble for the fifth time last year, carded a 68 at Spyglass Hill and is tied for 12th; fifth-ranked Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble, is tied for 24th after a 69 at Spyglass Hill, and Brandt Snedeker, another two-time winner at Pebble, could manage only a 73 at Spyglass and is tied for 95th.
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