Akshay Bhatia opened with a blistering start at Pebble Beach, building a five-shot lead at the turn before the picturesque coastal course showed its teeth on Saturday at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Bhatia managed to hold onto a two-shot lead with a 4-under 68, sitting at 19-under 197 heading into what promises to be a challenging final round.
“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.”
Bhatia torched the front nine with six birdies in seven holes, but went the final 11 holes with two bogeys and no birdies as conditions deteriorated. He didn’t record his first bogey of the tournament until his 47th hole when strengthening winds sent his tee shot well over the green on the par-3 12th.
Sunday’s forecast calls for significant wind and rain, prompting officials to move up starting times by an hour. Players will likely be hanging on by the seat of their rain pants.
Collin Morikawa made the day’s biggest move, firing an 11-birdie 62 that catapulted him 25 spots up the leaderboard into a three-way tie for second with Jake Knapp (66) and Sepp Straka (67).
Morikawa hit all 18 greens in regulation, a welcome performance for the two-time major champion who’s looking to end more than two years without a victory.
“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.”
Knapp delivered his own highlight reel, bookending his round with eagles. He holed out from 130 yards on the par-4 first hole and finished with an eagle on the par-5 18th after riding the wind to set up a 12-foot putt.
Sam Burns also holed out for eagle to start his day, temporarily grabbing the lead. His finish was equally dramatic—a shot from a greenside bunker that hit the video board behind the green, followed by a chip that rattled the pin and dropped for birdie. Burns finished with a 72, five shots back in a group that includes Tommy Fleetwood (67) and Maverick McNealy (63).
Defending champion Rory McIlroy sits 10 shots behind after a 72, his chances derailed by five disastrous holes across three rounds: Saturday’s triple bogey (drive onto the beach at No. 4) and double bogey (drive out-of-bounds at No. 18), Thursday’s pair of three-putt double bogeys from 5 feet, and Friday’s shank that led to a bogey on a par 5.
Scottie Scheffler posted a bogey-free 67 but still sits eight shots back, though he’s in position to extend his streak of PGA Tour top-10 finishes to 18.
Wind Creates Chaos
A preview of Sunday’s potential challenges came in the day’s final hour. Jacob Bridgeman, who shot 68 and sits three back, found himself playing from the beach on the 18th. Min Woo Lee (70) ended up 75 yards across the fairway in the hedges and eventually took a penalty drop on the cart path. Players watched as their golf balls moved on the green, with the final group taking nearly 50 minutes to complete the 18th hole.
“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.”
Sunday represents a major opportunity for Knapp to earn a spot in the Masters and the rest of this year’s signature events. For Morikawa, it’s a chance to prove his once-reliable swing is back on track after missing the cut in Hawaii to start 2024.
With deteriorating weather in the forecast, Sunday’s final round will likely be more about survival than scoring at one of golf’s most iconic venues.
