FORMER WORLD NO 1 Justin Rose had a two-stroke lead with nine holes to play when darkness halted the final round of the US PGA Tour Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday.
Rose and the rest of the field were due to return today to complete the event that was thrown off schedule when high winds halted play on Saturday.
Rose, whose 10 US PGA Tour titles include the 2013 US Open, had moved atop the leaderboard upon completion of the third round Sunday morning, firing an eagle and a birdie in his last three holes to take a one-stroke lead.
When the final round began Sunday afternoon, he shook off an opening bogey to card two birdies and an eagle at the par-five sixth – where he blasted out of a fairway bunker to eight feet.
He was 15-under and two strokes clear of Americans Peter Malnati, Denny McCarthy and Brendon Todd.
Malnati, playing in the last group with Rose, was two-under for the round and 13-under for the tournament through nine holes.
McCarthy was 13-under through 15 holes having climbed the leaderboard with nine birdies and two bogeys and Todd was 13-under through 12.
Rose had enjoyed a stress-free morning, rolling in an eagle putt at the 16th before a birdie at 18 on the Monterey Peninsula course, one of three in use over the first three rounds along with the par-72 Pebble Beach Golf Links and the par-72 Spyglass Hill.
He’d been among those affected by gusting winds that prompted a suspension of play on Saturday because balls wouldn’t hold on at least one green.
“We were one of those problematic groups there on the ninth hole where the ball was really moving around the cup,” he said. “I hit a five-wood miraculously to three feet right before they blew the horn. As I was going to mark my ball it blew seven feet down the green.”
He returned to make that seven-footer as he built a 12-under 54-hole total that put him one stroke ahead of Malnati and Kurt Kitayama.
The weather continued to be a factor Sunday morning, with an early hail storm briefly halting play.
“That was, like, what is going on?” Rose said. “Like, what more can they throw at us this week?”
Seamus Power is joint 21st on eight under par.
Officials knew after Saturday’s delay that the final round would stretch into Monday.
They shortened the amateur section of the pro-am event to 54 holes, with only the pros teeing it up in the fourth round at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the amateur title, combining with PGA Tour playing partner Ben Silverman to shoot 26-under par.
The victory was all the more impressive since Silverman didn’t even make the pros’ cut.
“It’s really significant,” Rodgers said. “It’s always been on my bucket list.”
