Wind wreaks havoc as Viktor chases Hovland: Here’s what you missed Saturday at the suspended AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Viktor Hovland, aside from No. 10 Matt Fitzpatrick, is the highest ranked player (11th) in the Monterey Peninsula for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week.

And it looks like he’s going to be part of the conversation when it comes time to crack.

Hovland, who won the 2018 US Amateur at Pebble Beach and went low amateur at the 2019 US Open, opened the event with a 2-under 70 at Spyglass Hill before firing a 4-under 67 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

Due to the weather, Hovland’s day was over on Saturday after making the turn with a 2-under 34 at Pebble Beach.

He has been in the lead four times, joint sixth.

The man he’s chasing is Peter Malnati, a player whose only Tour victory was all the way back in 2016 at the Sanderson Farms. For a solid week at the Farmers Insurance Open (T-20), Malnati had missed five cuts in seven events this season, including four in a row.

The 35-year-old, like Hovland, played Pebble on Saturday and had a round (or at least part of it) himself. Starting at No. 10, Malnati made birdie Nos. 11-13 and turned with a 3-under 33. He then made birdie Nos. 1-3 and was 5.5 yards from another birdie at No. 4 when the horn blew.

Sandwiched between Malnati and Hovland (T-6) are Joseph Bramlett and Keith Mitchell at 10 down, and Hank Lebioda and Kurt Kitayama at 9 down.

If you missed Saturday’s half day of action, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Find a recap of day three on Pebble below.

The wind caused a lot of nuisance on Saturday

The wind was predicted to be brutal on Saturday and it lived up to the hype, so much so that play was abandoned due to gusty winds.

Play was originally canceled at 3:12 PM ET at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course and at 3:20 PM ET at Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Pebble Beach Golf Links.

At 4:04 PM ET, the tweet from PGA Tour Communications would resume at 2:00 PM local or 5:00 PM ET. Less than 30 minutes later it was pushed back.

Finally, at 5:49 PM ET, the game was canceled for today.

Story continues

The Tour confirmed it will also be a Monday finish. In addition, only professionals will compete in the final round.

Disappointment for the boy from the hometown

Maverick McNealy of the United States hands a club to his caddy Travis McAlister on the 11th hole during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill Golf Course on February 2, 2023 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

Maverick McNealy stayed with his grandparents this week, hoping a little home cooking would lead to success on a course he grew up on – even if he had to wait until his 16th birthday to play it for the first time.

“This is one of, if not my favorite, events on the Tour every year. I like the golf courses. I would say any short-sleeved day at Pebble Beach is going to be a bucket list day,” he said during a pre-tournament talk with the media on Tuesday.

During his Tour career, McNealy has two top-five finishes at Pebble Beach, including a second-place finish to Daniel Berger in 2021.

However, his week this time is a little shorter than he expected after pulling out nine holes in his third round due to a left shoulder injury.

As of now, he is in the field for next week’s WM Phoenix Open. We’ll have to wait and see if he picks it up on Thursday.

Shots of the day

Viktor Hovland had to make a move on Saturday to get in position to strike on Sunday afternoon (Monday, now), and that’s exactly what he did.

A long iron approach into the second green left him with only a par-5 cleanup attempt for an eagle.

Jordan Spieth experienced the par-3 seventh like never before. With winds howling from the ocean, the usual lobe wedge hole was playing somewhere in the 160-170 yard range.

Spieth hit a 7-iron punch.

Spieth is 1 down, T-63 and 11 back in the lead.

Chances to win

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek