golf roundup Friday’s events

PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF.

Jordan Spieth knew the pin position on the ninth hole at Spyglass Hill as much by memory as by sight, which was a good thing considering the fog creeping across the Monterey Peninsula on Friday. The crowd behind the green couldn’t see Spieth, only a golf ball that landed behind the flag and spun back 3 feet below the cup. Spieth tapped that in for his eighth birdie of the round and a 7-under 65 that put him atop the leaderboard in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Spieth was at 10-under 133. Derek Fathauer was 8 under for his round at Pebble Beach and tied with Spieth at 10 under. Fathauer had to return Saturday morning to finish his round on the ninth hole. The bigger threat might be Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 player, who was 7 under through 12 holes at Spyglass and 9 under overall when play was stopped. Patrick Reed, who withdrew two weeks ago from the European Tour event in Australia next week because of a respiratory infection, was at 7 under and had one hole to play at Monterey Peninsula. The sun, rarely seen this week, is supposed to be make an appearance this weekend. Spieth and Day will play Pebble the final two rounds, and it typically is the easiest when the weather is benign.

ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP

BOCA RATON, FLA.

Olin Browne had eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch and shot a 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the PGA Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship. Browne birdied Nos. 17-2 and 4-7 on The Old Course at Broken Sound Club in the round that began on No. 10. He birdied all four par-5 holes in the bogey-free round. Kenny Perry was two strokes back. He opened with an eagle on the par-5 first. Fred Couples eagled the par-5 11th in a 68. He’s playing in Florida for the first time since the 2006 Honda Classic. At age 71, Hale Irwin shot a 68 to better his age for the 19th time on the tour. Bernhard Langer had a 71, making a double bogey on the par-4 ninth. The 59-year-old German star is coming off a victory in the season-opener in Hawaii, his 30th career victory on the senior tour.

MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Bernd Wiesberger made nine straight birdies and finished with a 9-under 63 to take the second-round lead in the Maybank Championship. The Austrian began the streak on the par-4 seventh at Saujana Golf and Country Club. He had a 12-under 132 total in the event sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

Associated Press