Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune share the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am after Friday’s second round, both sitting at 15-under 129 through 36 holes.
Bhatia has been flawless, playing bogey-free golf over two days at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. He carded a 64 on Friday that included six birdies and an impressive 50-foot chip-in eagle on the 14th hole.
Hisatsune, who opened with a blistering 62 at Pebble Beach, followed with a solid 67 despite consecutive bogeys in the middle of his round. He offset those mistakes with enough birdies and an eagle to maintain his position atop the leaderboard.
Their combined score of 129 marks the lowest 36-hole total since the tournament shifted to a two-course rotation in 2024 as a signature event.
Rickie Fowler (64) and Sam Burns (67) sit just one shot back after their rounds at Spyglass Hill. Several big names remain in contention, with Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and defending champion Rory McIlroy all within striking distance.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finally found his rhythm late in Friday’s round, playing his final seven holes in 5-under to card a 66. Despite the strong finish, he’s still nine shots off the lead heading into the weekend.
“I’d say ‘inched’ would be the operative word there,” Scheffler said about his progress. “It’s going to take two pretty special rounds, but you’re never out of it. We’ll see what happens with the weather.”
While golf took center stage on the course, much of Friday’s buzz surrounded speculation about whether Taylor Swift would appear to watch her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was playing at Pebble Beach. Despite generating $60,000 in ticket sales when Kelce was announced as part of the amateur field (and another $21,000 in the 12 hours before he played Pebble), Swift didn’t make an appearance.
“It was busy without her,” said Mackenzie Hughes, who played in Kelce’s group. “With her, I think it would have literally been pandemonium.”
The best scoring conditions came Thursday, which explains why the top four players on the leaderboard all played Pebble Beach during the opening round.
“I thought that yesterday was a good day to be out here,” Spieth said after finishing a 68 at Pebble Beach. “Got decently challenging towards the end here today, but the greens are so receptive and they’re not super fast out here right now. Pebble’s going to show more of its teeth the next two days.”
There’s no 36-hole cut in this signature event, though the amateur portion of the tournament concludes after two rounds.
Bhatia, who tied for third at last week’s Phoenix Open, has now gone 44 holes without a bogey across his last three rounds.
“Bogey-free around these golf courses is great,” Bhatia said. “Greens can get bumpy, you can get some really tough putts with how much slope’s on the greens. So I’ve been really steady inside 5 to 6 feet… It’s just fun when you feel like you’re in a groove.”
McIlroy has struggled to find consistency in his first U.S. start this year. He’s had a pair of three-putt double bogeys from the 4-foot range at Spyglass Hill and shanked a chip into a bunker from an awkward spot right of the green on the par-5 14th at Pebble Beach, leading to a bogey.
“I feel like I’ve been a little bit wasteful the last two days and maybe not capitalized on those great starts,” said McIlroy, who sits six shots off the lead.
All players head to Pebble Beach for the final two rounds, where conditions could change dramatically. When asked about his expectations for the weekend, Hisatsune was succinct: “Hopefully, no wind.”
One thing’s certain – the wind has a better chance of showing up than Taylor Swift.
