Kent Jones surprise first-round leader in AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

From WorldGolf.com News Services

In an event loaded with famous names, the first-round leader in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am wound up being the almost-anonymous Kent Jones.

Having never finished in the top five in 270 PGA Tour starts, Jones carded a bogey-free round of 6-under-par 66 Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The 41-year-old from New Mexico enters Friday's play with a one-stroke lead over the almost equally unknown John Mallinger, Roland Thatcher and Brad Adamonis.

Jones is atop the leaderboard at a PGA Tour event after 18 holes for just the second time. His only other first-round lead came in the 2002 Buick Open over K.J. Choi and Mark Brooks and went on to finish tied for 14th.

"I think I'm just satisfied that I played well and putted well," Jones told reporters. "I don't think, especially when everyone is playing different golf courses, being in the lead isn't very important, especially I think if someone shoots say 5 under or 6 under at Spyglass.

"I think that's a tougher golf course, so you could almost say they're really leading, but it's nice to be playing well, obviously."

Jones earned his position on the leaderboard thanks to a fast start. Starting his round on No. 10, he opened with back-to-back birdies and added birdies at Nos. 15 and 17 on make the turn at 4-under 32.

After some productive practice rounds, Jones said he felt like he might be on the verge of having a good tournament. Sinking a 20-foot birdie putt on his first hole didn't hurt, either.

"I felt like in the practice rounds I was hitting the ball okay and I felt like my putting was feeling better," Jones said. "So I felt like I had a chance to maybe play well this week, but I really didn't expect to putt as good as I did today, so that's been maybe a little bit of a surprise."

Not as big a surprise, perhaps, as finding Jones atop the leaderboard. Then again, only four of the 14 players in the top 10 own PGA Tour victories.

Last week's FBR Open winner J.B. Holmes leads a group of 10 players tied at 4-under 68. A total of 60 players are within five shots of the lead in the event that's also being played at Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson had an interesting opening round, rallying with to finish at 1-under 71. Bidding to become the tournament's first repeat champion since Mark O'Meara in 1989-90, Mickelson was 4 over through 10 holes at Poppy Hills before going on a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie stretch.

"I was just trying to get back to even par," Mickelson told reporters. "If I shot 3 or 4 over, I would be shooting myself out of the tournament."

Playing for the first time in more than four months after ankle surgery, Davis Love III rallied with three birdies on the back nine for a 2-under 70. Greg Norman, appearing in a PGA Tour event for the first time since 2006, finished with a 4-over 76, which included a four-putt on no. 13 for a double bogey.

February 8, 2008