Pebble Beach, CA, Feb 9: Anirban Lahiri got his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour but was unable to keep himself in the tournament for the final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lahiri, who began the third day at Monterey Peninsula course following rounds of 73-71, Lahiri aced the Par-3 third hole, his 12thof the day, but finished with one-under 70 and missed the 54-hole cut as he was one-under for 54 holes and cut fell at three-under.
Also missing the cut was Arjun Atwal (75-67-71).
Lahiri had a rough start for the third straight day as he was three-over after six holes as he teed off from the tenth. He repaired some damage with birdies on 16thand 18thand added a third on first. Then he got this hole-in-one on third and added another birdie on sixth at which point he was three-under for the tournament and on the bubble. He bogeyed the seventh and ninth and crashed out.
It was Lahiri’s second hole-in-one in a big event. He had an ace on the Par-3 ninth at the St. Anne’s Golf Club in 2012 Open, where he went to finish T-31.
Nick Taylor kept his nose ahead with a third round 69 at Spyglass Hill, even as the defending champion Phil Mickelson (67) at Pebble Beach was breathing down his neck. Mickelson’s short game was on the spot and he made some amazing shots. He hit a great one from a bunker behind the par-3 seventh green and then holed out from a bunker for birdie on the 13th, and chipped in from 90 feet for birdie on the next hole. Mickelson also hit a flop shot over the bunker on the par-5 18th.
Mickelson trailed Taylor of Canada by one shot going into the final round. Mickelson will be going for a record sixth title at Pebble Beach, and his first PGA TOUR victory since he won this tournament last year.
Taylor and Mickelson have never played together and they will do so for the first time on Sunday.
Jason Day posted a 70 at Spyglass Hill and was three shots behind at 14-under 201. Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble, was in striking range and could manage only a 72, leaving him eight shots back. Patrick Cantlay played the final six holes in 2 over for a 72 and was nine shots back.
Mickelson has said that he would not accept a special exemption for the U.S. Open if he needed one. However, a victory at Pebble would go a long way toward solving that.
A win for Taylor will mean a trip to the Masters, which he has never played before. Two of his four Major starts have been as an amateur.
Read also:
Lahiri and Atwal still way behind after two rounds at Pebble Beach
Weak start for Lahiri and Atwal at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; Taylor leads
