Thomas Detrie hits a shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PEBBLE BEACH — Belgium’s Thomas Detry made 10 birdies, including three straight jumps to the finish, and 1 on rain-soaked grass late Thursday in the opening round of the new streamlined AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He moved into the lead in batting difference.
Detrie, who was winless on the PGA Tour, shot a close 63 against Patrick Cantlay at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Mathieu Pabon took sole third place with a 65 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
“Today was good,” said Detrie, who finished his round with a chip in on the 18th. “Yes, it’s just perfect. The green was soft and had an uphill lie, so I was pretty comfortable putting it within 3 feet to be honest.
“And it rolled well and just dripped into the hole. It was lovely to watch. I felt like I didn’t hit my short irons very well today. I mean, it was still pretty good, so I’m not going to complain. I didn’t mean to. It was a great round of golf where I shot 9 under.”
Cantlay was winless last season, but he always made headlines. He was called for slow play in Georgia, and in Rome he was mocked for not wearing his hat and asking for a paycheck. He got married the day after the U.S. team lost the Ryder Cup.
Cantlay replaced his unique 2023 season with serious golf. He shot a bogey-free 64.
Cantlay, who finished third at AT&T in 2021 and tied for fourth in 2022, had eight birdies on the front nine of Spyglass Hill Golf Course, including three from the last four holes.
This was the first time this tournament was held as one of the PGA Tour’s eight signature events.
“It went well,” Cantlay said. “So I just didn’t get off to the best start. I chipped in on the 13th. I missed a lot of greens from the start. My short game was really sharp today, with a mid-range I made a lot of putts and was able to maintain momentum throughout the round,” said Cantlay, who is ranked No. 4 in the world.
Cantlay had two top-10 finishes last season. But since the Masters in April, he has faced a wave of criticism. He was criticized for playing slowly, a common complaint for the eight-time PGA Tour winner.
At the Ryder Cup in Italy in October, Cantlay did not wear a Team USA hat. It was rumored that his appearance without a hat was a protest because he believed he should be paid to play. A dispute quickly erupted, with anger flaring between players and caddies. The Americans lost the competition, and the next day Cantlay was married not far from the Ryder Cup venue.
Emiliano Grillo, who shot a 66 at Spyglass Hill, and Kim Si-woo, who shot a 66 at Pebble Beach, are tied at 6 under.
Rickie Fowler and Thomas Detrie, who shot a 67 at Spyglass Hill, are tied for second with Collin Morikawa, who shot a 67 at Pebble Beach.
“I’m very happy to have the weather today,” Fowler said. “Hopefully there’s a lot of good stories and good golf. I know we’re all excited to come to Pebble and play all weekend.”
As the first full-field signature event of the season, AT&T will make no cuts, another departure from the tournament’s tradition of narrowing the field after 54 holes.
Nearly a dozen players, including defending titlist Justin Rose, tied for eighth with 68 points.
The 80-player Pro-Am division featured fewer than 10 big names, and the tournament’s 80-player Pro division quickly rose through the ranks. It was witnessed by a sedate gallery that would have been accustomed to at least a little fun in the various disciplines of the tournament, which previously consisted of merry entertainers.
Despite predicted bad weather, the opening round began at 8:45 a.m. on the front and back nines of both courses. It rained heavily for a short period of time in the morning for about an hour. The rain briefly returned after several hours of cloudy conditions with intermittent sunshine.
Scottie Scheffler, the game’s top-ranked player and playing in the event for the first time, shot a 69 at Spyglass Hill and was part of a large group at 3 under.
Rory McIlroy toured his first 13 holes as if he were playing on a links course in his native Northern Ireland. He made three birdies in a row, starting with the third hole (12th hole) at Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and moved into a two-stroke lead at 6 under.
But the former world No. 1 and current world No. 2 had bogeys on the sixth and eighth holes and a double bogey on the seventh hole at Spyglass Hill to finish with a 71.
Nick Dunlap, who made his professional debut with an amateur win at the American Express on Jan. 21, was 5 over after 15 holes at Pebble Beach.