PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Akshay Bhatia played Pebble Beach by the book in accommodating weather with such a blistering start that he threatened to run away with the tournament by building a five-shot lead at the turn.
But then a cool day turned into a cold one, more spectators holding coffee cups than beer cans. One of the prettiest coastal courses on earth showed a nasty side Saturday in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and Bhatia did all he could to get across the finish line with a 4-under 68 and a two-shot lead.
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“All in all, yeah, weird day,” Bhatia said. “Felt like I lost some ground toward the end, but then I realized it just played so much harder for some of the guys that were in some of the last tee times.”
And the worst might be yet to come.
Bhatia did enough early with six birdies in seven holes at the start of his round that even going the last 11 holes with two bogeys and no birdies didn't cost him the lead.
Starting times were moved up one hour for the final round with a forecast of big wind and rain, a time for players to hang on by the seat of their rain pants.
Low scores were still available. Collin Morikawa, the two-time major champion trying to end more than two years without a victory, had 11 birdies in his round of 62 that shot him up 25 spots on the leaderboard to a three-way tie for second with Jake Knapp (66) and Sepp Straka (67).
Bhatia made it through 47 holes of this signature event until his first bogey when the strengthening wind sent his tee shot well over the green on the par-3 12th. He dropped another shot on the par-3 17th when the wind knocked down his shot into the bunker and he missed a 4-foot putt.
He went out in 30 and came in 38, exactly what Pebble Beach can do with wind. Even so, Bhatia was at 19-under 197.
Even without the “Celebrity Saturday” from the old AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am days — this is the third year of the old Clambake becoming a buttoned-up signature event — there was no shortage of entertainment.
Knapp, the smooth-swinging Southern Californian, started and finished with an eagle. He holed out from 130 yards on the par-4 first hole, and he rode the wind for an approach to 12 feet for eagle on the par-5 18th.
Sam Burns also holed out for eagle to start his day, temporarily giving him the lead. He didn't finish with an eagle, but it was no less surprising — a shot from the greenside bunker off the video board behind the green, then a chip that rattled the pin and dropped for birdie.
Burns salvaged a 72 and was five behind with a group that included Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Maverick McNealy (63).
Defending champion Rory McIlroy was 10 shots behind, and he can count five holes that put that that far back. He had a triple bogey (drive onto the beach at No. 4) and a double bogey (drive out-of-bounds to the right on No. 18) in his third round of 72. He had a pair of three-putt double bogeys from 5 feet on Thursday. And he had a shank that led to bogey on a par 5 on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler's best hope was to extend his streak of top 10s on the PGA Tour to 18. He had a bogey-free 67 that allowed him to gain one shot on the lead — he was still eight behind.
The prelude to Sunday might have come in the last hour — two groups finishing two holes. Jacob Bridgeman, who shot 68 and was three behind, played from the beach on the 18th. Min Woo Lee (70) was 75 yards across the fairway in the hedges, finally decided to take a penalty drop on the cart path. And then his golf ball kept moving on his putt. It took some 50 minutes to play the hole.
Hisatsune, who had a 74, kept having to replace his golf ball on the 18th green because it kept moving. He missed his 6-foot par putt, and then waited more than 10 seconds because it looked as though the wind might blow it into the cup.
No one was expecting a walk on the beach.
“It's not going to be pretty at all times. You’re going to have some funky stuff happen and just have to deal with it,” Knapp said. “I think anytime you get bad elements and stuff like that you just have to do a good job of not letting it bug you.”
It's a big chance for Knapp to earn a spot to the Masters and the rest of the signature events for the year. And it's a big day for Morikawa, who once reliable swing has gone missing over the years.
He had big hopes to start 2026 and then missed the cut in Hawaii. But he felt he was on the right track, and a round like this only builds confidence. He hit all 18 greens in regulation.
“I’ve been really focused on just trying to build this momentum, just making it myself and it’s finally paid off today,” Morikawa said. “We’ve got some work tomorrow, for sure.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf