Viktor Hovland, aside from the No. 10 Matt Fitzpatrick, is the highest-ranked player (11th) on the Monterey Peninsula this week for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
And it looks like he's going to be part of the conversation when it's crunch time.
Hovland, who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach and claimed low amateur at the 2019 U.S. Open, opened the event with a 2-under 70 at Spyglass Hill before firing a 4-under 67 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
Due to the weather, Hovland's day was done Saturday after making the turn with a 2-under 34 at Pebble Beach.
He's four back of the lead, tied for sixth.
The man he's chasing is Peter Malnati, a player whose one and only win on Tour came all the way back in 2016 at the Sanderson Farms. Before a solid week at the Farmers Insurance Open (T-20), Malnati had missed five cuts in seven events this season, including four straight.
The 35-year-old, like Hovland, played Pebble on Saturday and had himself a round (or, at least, part of one). Starting on No. 10, Malnati birdied Nos. 11-13 and turned with a 3-under 33. He then birdied Nos. 1-3 and was 18 feet away from another birdie on No. 4 when the horn blew.
Sandwiched in between Malnati and Hovland (T-6) are Joseph Bramlett and Keith Mitchell at 10 under, and Hank Lebioda and Kurt Kitayama at 9 under.
If you missed Saturday's half day of action, no worries, we have you covered. Find a recap of day three at Pebble below.
Wind wreaked havoc on Saturday
The wind on Saturday was forecasted to be brutal and it lived up to the hype, so much so that play was stopped due to gusty conditions.
Play was originally called at 3:12 p.m. ET at Monterey Peninsula Country Club's Shore Course and at 3:20 p.m. ET at Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Pebble Beach Golf Links.
At 4:04 p.m. ET, PGA Tour Communications tweeted played would resume at 2:00 p.m. local, or 5:00 p.m. ET. Less than 30 minutes later, it was pushed back.
Finally, at 5:49 p.m. ET, play was called for the day.
The Tour confirmed it will be a Monday finish, as well. In addition, only professionals will compete in the final round.
Disappointment for the hometown kid
Maverick McNealy of the United States hands a club to his caddie Travis McAlister on the 11th hole during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill Golf Course on February 02, 2023 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Maverick McNealy was staying with his grandparents this week, hoping a little home cooking would lead to success on a course he grew up on - even though he had to wait until his 16th birthday to play it for the first time.
"This is one of, if not my favorite, event every year on Tour. I love the golf courses. I'd say any day with short sleeves at Pebble Beach is going to be a bucket list day," he said Tuesday during a pre-tournament sit down with the media.
During his Tour career, McNealy has two top-five finishes at Pebble Beach, including a runner-up to Daniel Berger in 2021.
However, his week this time around is over a little shorter than he expected after withdrawing nine holes into his third round due to a left shoulder injury.
As of now, he's in the field for next week's WM Phoenix Open. We'll have to wait and see if he tees it up Thursday.
Shots of the Day
Viktor Hovland needed to make a move Saturday to get into a position to strike Sunday afternoon (Monday, now), and that's exactly what he did.
A long-iron approach into the second green left him just a clean-up attempt at the par-5 for an eagle.
Jordan Spieth experienced the par-3 seventh like he never had before. With winds howling off the ocean, the usual lob-wedge hole played somewhere close to 160-170 yards.
Spieth hit a punch 7-iron.
Spieth is 1 under, T-63 and 11 back of the lead.
Odds to win
Story originally appeared on GolfWeek
