Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Bhatia and Hisatsune Rock the Leaderboard – Rickie Fowler in Attack Mode!
Folks, the PGA Tour Pebble Beach Pro-Am? It's simply delivering the goods! Friday saw the action really heat up on the course, and suddenly we have not one, but two guys at the top, posting 15-under par. Akshay Bhatia quickly joined Ryo Hisatsune – and they're already feeling the hot breath of Rickie Fowler, who is enjoying a true resurgence.
California's Bhatia? He fired a 64 – and that after a string of bogey-free rounds. This puts him in the top spot alongside Hisatsune. Anyone thinking this is out of the blue: Not a chance! The 24-year-old already had a shared third-place finish last week at the Phoenix Open. "I'm just building on last week. Things were already going really well, now I'm slowly finding my groove," said Bhatia, who, by the way, already has two PGA Tour victories under his belt. His round was a real show: Six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th – where he chipped in from 47 feet (!) out of the rough directly into the hole! A magical shot! "My swing is solid, my shots are on point, and the putts are finally dropping," he beamed.
And Ryo Hisatsune from Japan? He simply confirmed his blistering start of 10-under from the first round – with a really strong 67, or five-under par. Sure, at Spyglass Hill (one of the two courses) there were briefly two bogeys at holes 18 and 1 around the turn. But the man has nerves of steel: He recovered, nailing an eagle on the par-5 seventh and a birdie on the ninth. What a finish! The 23-year-old from Okayama, winner of the 2023 Open de France on the DP World Tour, is currently stepping on the gas. He desperately wants to claim his first US PGA Tour title. Last week in Phoenix, after a shared second-place finish behind the high-flyer Justin Rose at Torrey Pines, he had led at the halfway point, but then only finished tenth. Now he's looking to make it happen!
What about Rickie Fowler? He also posted a 64 onto the scoreboard, thus sitting in a tie for third place with Sam Burns at 14-under par. Sure, there was a bogey on the 14th – but otherwise? A flawless round with nine birdies! The 37-year-old is chasing his first PGA Tour victory since 2023, and it's evident: He's back in form! After a 2025 season full of injuries that even briefly catapulted him out of the world's top 100, he's back. "My shoulder was just awful last year; I had to fight through it as best I could," Fowler reveals. "But now? My body and my shoulder feel much, much better than last year!" We're eager to see what else he can do!
And then there's Harris English – what a comeback! After a rather disappointing opening round of 73, he simply fired the best round of the day: A bogey-free 63 with a whopping nine birdies! This puts him at eight-under at the halfway mark. Impressive!
