Korean Kang flirts with a 59 to share Pebble Beach lead

It added to a memorable day at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (which is being played on four courses), where Kang and Hiroshi Iwata are tied for the lead.

Kang and Iwata were at 11-under 132.

Four-times champion Phil Mickelson was a further stroke back in a three-way tie for third, having also raised hopes of a magical 59 after making an electric start before he lost momentum on his back nine to card a 65 at Monterey Peninsula. The four-time Pebble Beach champion shot a 6-under 65 at Monterey Peninsula to move 13 spots up the leader board and to within one shot off the lead.

Song, resuming on 12 under and playing two groups behind Spieth, drained a 12-foot par putt on the 16th then made par at the last two holes to win the co-sanctioned Asian and Japan Tour event.

“The last three weeks”, said Kang, “I wasn’t really hitting it very good”.

“From where I’ve been at, (where) I played them, they have pretty much all been par 4s for me, so it nearly feels like I’m playing them 7 over”, Spieth said.

World number one Jordan Spieth, back on the PGA Tour after playing tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Singapore, again struggled with the pace of the greens as he carded a 69 at Monterey Peninsula for a three-under total.

Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose remain in contention at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am following another exciting day in California.

The leaderboard feels volatile because no one knows what to expect from Kang or whether Iwata can keep things going. I had three (birdie) chances on par-fives greenside, just little chip shots, basic shots, and I made par as well as bogeying that 115-yard par-three.

Tee times Friday: Moore at 8:22 a.m. (PST) off Monterey Peninsula No. 1, Stanley at 8:33 a.m. off Spyglass No. 10, Putnam at 8:55 a.m. off Spyglass No. 1 and Gonzales at 8:55 a.m. off Monterey Peninsula No. 10. The unfamiliarity worked both ways, because Romano hadn’t heard of Kang until they were paired for this AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

THE COURSES: Monterey Peninsula is the only course that plays to a par 71, and the Shore Course can be had in the gentle weather that Thursday provided.

“I’m hitting it great now”, said Spieth, victor of the Hyundai event in Maui. “I don’t think there’s any health issues now”.

“I’ve never seen a demographic like that on a golf course where you’re sort of running the gauntlet from one tee to the other. The hardest greens to putt in my opinion because they’re the softest”. Then Sunday those who make the 54-hole cut play only at Pebble. Jacobson, 23, a non-winner, had a 3-under 69 at Spyglass Hill and is also 10 under. Considering his frustrations with the putter early on at the Waste Management, that is a telling stat that Mickelson’s starting to get comfortable with all parts of his game and it’s showing with his scoring early on this week.