SAN FRANCISCO – Justin Rose charged in front at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am but instead of a standard Sunday finish, his bid to return to the winner’s circle will have to wait until Monday (Tuesday morning, Singapore time).
The Englishman followed up a third-round six-under 65 by going three under on the front nine of Pebble Beach Golf Links for a two-shot lead when play was suspended on Sunday in Pebble Beach, California.
The tournament was postponed midway through Saturday’s third round due to high winds, leading to the Monday morning finish. The Golf Channel broadcast said 27 players had yet to finish their final rounds.
At 15 under, Rose is two strokes ahead of Denny McCarthy, Brendon Todd and Peter Malnati. The former Major champion was on the 10th hole when play was suspended, and he opted to return to finish the hole on Monday.
Rose awoke on Sunday six shots off the pace but finished his third round at Monterey Peninsula Country Club with three birdies on the back nine and an eagle at the par-five 16th hole for his 65.
The field played one round apiece at Monterey Peninsula, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill before a 54-hole cut.
Rose, a 10-time PGA Tour winner but winless since the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open in January, had to wait out yet another weather issue at Monterey, a hail storm, before his hot finish there.
“Just as we got going it was like, ‘What else can be thrown at us this week’?” he said. “But once the hail came out, it began to feel more pleasant...
“The sun started poking through and with a westerly breeze, we caught a huge break... The putter got hot there... and it was fun to take advantage.”
At Pebble on Sunday afternoon, Rose bogeyed the first hole but bounced back with a birdie at the par-five second. At the par-five sixth, he landed his second shot just eight feet from the cup to set up an eagle putt, and he birdied the following hole, a par three, from nearly 18 feet to reach 15 under for the tournament.
McCarthy was seven under after 15 holes, Todd was five under after 12 and Malnati was two under after nine when play was suspended on Sunday.
McCarthy rolled in seven birdies on the front nine to go out in seven-under 29. Bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14 stopped his charge.
The leader in the clubhouse was also the man responsible for the lowest fourth round. Canada’s Taylor Pendrith finished with a 64 before the suspension of play to get to 12 under, good for a tie for fifth with Beau Hossler, Keith Mitchell and Brandon Wu.
Pendrith signed a bogey-free card with eight birdies, five on the front nine. He played the par-five 18th conservatively as the sun set and two-putted for par.
“I hit a 3-iron off the tee this morning (in the third round),” Pendrith told the Golf Channel broadcast. “It was cold and raining. Also, haven’t really been driving it my best, and it’s a tough tee shot no matter what circumstance you’re in. Still could have made birdie with a 3-iron off the tee. It’s just a tight tee shot. It was dark, cold, windy. ... Overall I’m happy.”
Earlier in the day, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the amateur portion of the event, shooting a 54-hole score of 26 under with PGA Tour partner Ben Silverman of Canada. The team victory came despite Silverman not making the cut on the professional side of the event at one-over through three rounds.
REUTERS
