PGA Tour: Kang shoots 60, Mickelson tied for third at Pebble Beach

At Pebble Beach, Freddie Jacobson shot a 7-under 65 on the par-72 course.

Mickelson took only 11 putts on the front nine at Monterey Peninsula.

Justin Rose, playing in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am for just the first time, is in sixth place at 9-under, and two shots off the lead.

When he finished up the round, Kang’s amateur playing partner Ray Romano congratulated him on shooting a career-best round.

Japanese co-leader Hiroshi Iwata, who shot a 6-under 66 at Pebble Beach, was asked what he liked most about the course.

On another gorgeous day, Mickelson and Kang each raised talk about a 59. Twenty-six of the 45 rounds in the 60s were at Monterey Peninsula.

Harding’s round featured eight birdies and a single bogey as only 22 players managed to go under par at Pretoria Country Club. If the putt goes in, it goes in.

Mickelson will play Pebble Beach on Saturday as he hopes to claim a fifth win in the event.

Kang and Iwata have the lead but some big names are lurking.

He got off to a strong start is his debut at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where Chez Reavie had the low score at a tournament that needs three days to sort out because of the variety of courses.

Aaron Baddeley, Steven Bowditch and Smith are all at four-under, while world No. 1 Jordan Spieth is three-under the card after firing a two-under 69 at Monterey.

“I’m 1 under on the par 5s, and from where I’ve been, they have pretty much all been par 4s for me”, Spieth said.

Kang couldn’t agree more. Some of them he read on his own. Furyk hasn’t played all year because of a wrist injury that required surgery last week, so Cowan has been picking up work wherever he can. The 28-year-old South Korean doesn’t know many Americans and is fairly oblivious to USA culture.

“One of my buddies came up and said, ‘Oh, you’re with Ray”.

“I think he’ll remember me after today”, he said.

About an hour later, Sung Kang birdied three straight holes and walked to his final tee at the par-3 ninth needing a birdie to shoot 59. “I just couldn’t get it in the hole”, said the Masters and U.S. Open champion.

Johnson made birdie. Spieth went just over the green and chipped to 12 feet, making par.

“So I’ll go back to my other driver”, he said.

Pádraig Harrington was a shot behind Dunne on three under after five birdies and three birdies in a 68, also at Monterey. Reavie, with an 8-under par 63 at MPCC, seized sole ownership of the lead with a back nine 30 that included five birdies and an eagle.

The truth is, Kang didn’t know the par at Monterey Peninsula. Two-time victor Johnson shot 2-under 70, but two bogeys and a double bogey diminished an otherwise strong performance.

Gibson showed no signs of what lay ahead when he turned at Spyglass Hill in one under.