Hunter Mahan was bracing for the worst of Pebble Beach. Instead, the Colleyville resident was reminded how much he loves this place on the California coast.
It helps that Mahan drilled a 3-wood onto the 18th green for a two-putt birdie that gave him a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead to par with Russell Knox in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.Better yet, the rain everyone was expecting early in the afternoon never showed up.Mahan took advantage of a gorgeous day by attacking Pebble Beach, the place to be when the conditions are calm.It was a good start, but nothing more. With three very different courses in the rotation and one course with a different par, no one has a good idea where they stand until after three rounds on Saturday.Knox had a 6-under 64 on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula.The best round might have belonged to Seung-yul Noh of South Korea, who played at Spyglass Hill and was 5-under (67). It's typically the toughest of the three courses when conditions are benign.Also at 5 under were Scott Langley (65 at Monterey Peninsula) and Matt Every, who had a bogey on his final hole at Pebble Beach for a 67.Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, among the newest members at Augusta National, beaned a spectator on the sixth hole.Phil Mickelson, going after a record-tying fifth win in this tournament, opened with a 69 at Monterey Peninsula.Colonial champ to chatZach Johnson, defending champion at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, will host a live Facebook and Twitter chat with golf fans as part of the tournament's kickoff luncheon activities Monday in Fort Worth.Johnson, a two-time Colonial champ (2010, 2012) who owns the tournament scoring record (21 under par, set in 2010), will chat with fans Monday from 2 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. Channel titles are Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial on Facebook or @CrownePlazaInv on Twitter.Dates for the 2013 tournament are May 20-26 at Colonial Country Club.-- Jimmy BurchEuropean TourGermany's Maximilian Kiefer and South Africa's Richard Sterne shot 8-under 63s Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the European Tour's Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
