Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy embellished breathtaking vistas. Each had a hole-in-one on a different course on Thursday. Russell Henley took the lead with an 8-under 64 after birdieing his final two holes. And there was Scottie Scheffler, who appeared to have always been present.
Scheffler started his encore with a 67 after missing only one green and opening with a bogey at Spyglass Hill. He was sidelined for a month due to a bizarre ailment that caused ravioli.
“What I observed today pleased me. Although I made a few bad shots, I was able to shoot a respectable number of birdies since I mostly kept the course in front of me.” Said Scheffler who missed 2 tournaments at the beginning of the year.
After a strong start on the back nine at Spyglass Hill, Jordan Spieth, the three-time major champion who last played in August before undergoing surgery on his left wrist to halt his season, had to settle for a 70 after his birdies dried up.
There was some cloud cover, cold weather, and the calmest circumstances they will likely have this week. When the wind isn’t blowing, Pebble Beach is usually the place to be because of the scoring opportunities, especially on the first 7 holes. In any event, when the wind comes, it’s the worst place to be for a golf tournament.
On the par-5 14th hole, Scheffler’s fairway metal just covered the bunker to set up an eagle putt, bringing the otherwise silent crowd to life.
It wasn’t for Scheffler, though. He was playing after McIlroy, whose 119-yard sand wedge went directly into the cup for an ace.
“The tee is so high up that you know the ball is in line, but you’re not sure if you should say “Go,” “Sit,” “Spin,” “Release,” or something else. The item simply vanishes as you’re watching it and trying to predict where it might land on the green.” McIlroy said.
Despite not having a 3 on his scorecard, McIlroy shot 66, including 33 on the back nine. He had birdies on both par 5s, a 1 from the ace, and a birdie on the 12th par-3.
When Lowry hit a 54-degree beauty wedge at Pebble Beach, it dropped to the left and slid into the cup. The shot was excellent. Indeed, some fortune awaits every successful golf stroke.
”It was ideal, big bounce. It simply kept spinning till it hit the hole. It was really awesome. I’m aware that I can be fairly good at times, but occasionally having a little luck also helps.” Lowry said.
Lowry’s ace on one of the world’s most beautiful and well-known par 3s is “life complete,” according to Jim Nantz of CBS Sports, who resides at Pebble. Augusta National might appreciate that. Lowry also has a hole-in-one on the 16th hole at the Masters and a hole-in-one on the island 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass.
With the likelihood of wind and rain growing daily, Lowry also opened with a 66 and will play Spyglass Hill on Friday.
Spyglass Hill, where Henley was playing, had a course average of 69.775, 1.6 shots higher than Pebble Beach. Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard fired their 65s at Spyglass, while Viktor Hovland, Cam Davis, Jake Knapp, and Justin Rose shot theirs at Pebble Beach.
At Spyglass, Scheffler blasted out around 20 feet from the hill right of the 10th fairway to a front bunker, but he missed his par putt. He was 1-over until he laced the fairway metal to 30 feet for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 14th hole, just as McIlroy on the course next to him pulled his ball from the cup. That was his sole bogey.
Golf commentator Justin Ray claims that Scheffler recorded one bogey or fewer on his 100th round on the PGA TOUR since 2022. When McIlroy talked about the best player in golf earlier this week, he was talking about that. That hasn’t altered despite a month apart and an unsuccessful attempt to cut ravioli dough with a wine glass.
