Golf: Lebioda powers to Pebble Beach first-round lead
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Hank Lebioda during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Monterey Peninsula Country Club on Feb 2, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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SAN FRANCISCO – For a player who has not made the cut in six months, it was only a “matter of time” before he found a breakthrough.
Hank Lebioda was firing on all cylinders on Thursday, with nine birdies in an eight-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He said it “felt like everything” was working for him at the Monterey Peninsula Shore Course.
It is one of three courses in use over the first three rounds along with Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill – both par-72 layouts.
“I hit a lot of great iron shots. I made the putts when I was close. It was a really nice day,” added the 29-year-old American, who is ranked 420th in the world and in search of a first PGA Tour title.
Lebioda, who has not made a cut on Tour since the 3M Open in July, tied his career-low score and was a stroke clear of England’s Harry Hall and Americans Kurt Kitayama and Chad Ramey.
Hall and Kitayama both carded 64s at Monterey Peninsula, while Ramey posted a 65 at Pebble Beach.
Lebioda added that recent work on his putting was finally starting to pay off.
“For probably the last couple weeks or so I felt like my putting had really turned a corner,” he said.
“Even though I may not have shown the results. But I felt more confident standing over the ball. I liked what I was looking at visually standing over it. I knew it was just a matter of time.
“So today, fortunately it was one of the days where quite a few of them did go in. Not every day is like that. I was glad I was able to take advantage of it today.”
Hall teed off on the 10th at Monterey Peninsula. His seven-under effort featured an eagle at the 16th hole and a string of five straight birdies from the third to the seventh, a run that ended with his second bogey of the day, at the eighth.
The blustery winds were just another challenge in the tournament, which features not only the complication of three courses but also amateurs playing alongside the pros.
The celebrities teeing it up in this event include sports stars like Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and recently retired Wales football captain Gareth Bale.
Bale admitted to some first-time nerves on the first tee.
“I think every amateur will tell you, even though we’re used to playing in front of 80,000 or more live on TV, it’s a completely different sport,” he said.
“Outside your comfort zone and something that’s just different. But it’s a cool experience.” AFP
