PEBBLE BEACH — Former world No. 1 Jordan Spieth was one off the pace with two holes to play Thursday when first-round play was suspended in the weather-whipped Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Eighty-one players had yet to complete the opening round when play was halted for the day on the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula courses.
The wind was whipping at Pebble Beach and heavy, steady rain had rendered all three courses unplayable.
South Korea’s Noh Seung-yul and Americans Joel Dahmen and Rick Lamb all made it into the clubhouse on four-under par.
Noh — seeking a second USPGA Tour title to go with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans crown he captured in 2014 — had the only bogey-free round of the day.
He carded a 68 at Spyglass Hill, as did Lamb and Dahmen.
Spieth was three-under through 16 holes at Monterey Peninsula, where had notched five birdies and two bogeys.
Players will return to complete their rounds Friday morning, with the start of the second round to follow.
When play was suspended, the more sheltered Spyglass had the lowest scoring average at 1.24 strokes over par, followed by Monterey Peninsula (1.84) and Pebble Beach (2.46).
Australia’s world No. 1 Jason Day put together a two-under par 69 at Monterey Peninsula that included four birdies and two bogeys. With tee times moved up an hour in a bid to avoid the worst of the weather, Day said his group played only four holes in the rain.
However, he said, “the wind was pretty stiff”.
“I think the hardest part about today was to commit to a shot,” Day said of the difficulties posed by the weather.
“Commitment was huge.”
Seventy-four players in a field of 156 had completed their rounds and organizers hope to get the tournament back on track on Friday, though weather forecasts predict a 50 percent of rain at Pebble Beach.
Given the weather conditions, Day was thrilled with his opening round. — Agencies
