Key Highlights
- Australia’s Min Woo Lee suffers a collapse on the final hole at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
- Led by Akshay Bhatia, who faces social media backlash over his anchoring putter technique.
- Tommy Fleetwood praises the scoring conditions despite challenging weather and strong winds.
- Morikawa surges into contention with a 62 to take second place in the leaderboard.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee is left visibly frustrated after a bogey-bogey finish at the third round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, just five shots behind leader Akshay Bhatia. Lee’s collapse on the 18th hole after an impressive eagle on the 14th saw him throw his ball into the Pacific Ocean in anger.
Lee was set to make a charge for the lead when he eagled the par-5 14th but fell back with bogeys at the 17th and 18th. His ball, hit from off a cart path after an unplayable lie, found a greenside bunker, setting up a difficult par-saving putt. Lee was annoyed by the heavy winds that seemed to move his ball on the green and took sarcastic cheers from the gallery for taking his time to make the shot.
Leader Akshay Bhatia Faces Backlash
Akshay Bhatia, leading with a 19-under total, has been enduring social media wrath over his anchoring putter technique. Despite his strong form on the greens, he uses a broomstick-like putter like Australia’s Adam Scott, which is banned in PGA Tour events.
Bhatia felt compelled to defend himself online, posting: “Not anchoring. Literally 2 inches short of my chest haha.” The controversy has sparked debates among golf fans and players alike, highlighting the ongoing tension between tradition and modern technology in professional golf.
Weather Challenges
The strong winds and challenging weather conditions have made for some impressive scoring at Pebble Beach. Tommy Fleetwood, the reigning FedEx Cup champion, praised the low scores despite the difficult day: “The scoring’s been amazing today and I don’t think it was that easy of a day.” He added that golfers are “really good” under such conditions.
Surprising Surge for Morikawa
Tommy Fleetwood’s assessment is echoed by Brooks Koepka, who is currently tied 31st. However, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa have risen to the occasion, with Morikawa surging into contention after a ten-under-par 62.
Morikawa, ranked No.19 in the world, stated that he has been working on his mindset: “I’ve had a lot of conversations with Rick Sessinghaus. More frustration, right?
I go out and even on Thursday I think I had like three or four birdies on a course where I felt like I hit it really, really good. It’s just going out, and he reminded me yesterday when I first came out and turned pro, like I didn’t care about honestly making cuts or top-20s, I came out to win. Now we’ve given ourselves at least a chance come tomorrow.”
With Bhatia leading the tournament with a 19-under total, Morikawa is hunting his first victory since 2023 and starts the final round two shots behind.
Conclusion
The Pebble Beach Pro-Am continues to be a test of skill and resilience. With strong winds and challenging conditions, players are finding it difficult to navigate the famous coastline course. The leaderboard is tight, with Morikawa making waves, while Bhatia faces scrutiny over his putter technique.
