Akshay Bhatia fired a bogey-free 64 to tie Japan's Ryo Hisatsune for the lead at 15-under after two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Hisatsune followed his first-round 62 with a 67. Rickie Fowler sits one stroke back at 14-under in a tie for third.
Akshay Bhatia fired a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course to tie Japan's Ryo Hisatsune for the lead at 15-under 129 after two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Friday in Pebble Beach, California. Hisatsune, who led after the first round with a 62 at Pebble Beach Golf Links, shot 67 at Spyglass Hill, marking his first two bogeys of the tournament.
The 24-year-old Bhatia, seeking his third PGA Tour title, built on his tie for third at last week's WM Phoenix Open. "Yeah, just building off last week. Played really nice last week," Bhatia said. "Then, yeah, just starting to kind of catch my groove or my stride." His round started on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 10 and 11, followed by a chip-in eagle from greenside rough at the par-5 14th, and four more birdies. "Some days are easier than others but I have such a good feel with just trying to get the golf ball in play now," he added.
The 23-year-old Hisatsune from Okayama, winner of the 2023 Open de France on the DP World Tour, finished tied for 10th at Phoenix after leading at the halfway point. He called his bogeys at Nos. 18 and 1 a "missed decision" but recovered with a 10-footer for eagle on his third-to-last hole.
Rickie Fowler shot 64 to reach 14-under, tying Sam Burns for third, one stroke back. Fowler, chasing his first win in over 2 1/2 years, said his body and shoulder feel better after last season's injuries. "My body and shoulder feel a lot better than it did last year," he noted. Harris English carded the day's low 63 at Pebble Beach to climb to 8-under. Scottie Scheffler is at 6-under in a tie for 34th after a 66. Rory McIlroy sits at 9-under in a tie for 17th after a 67.
The $20 million signature event features no 36-hole cut, with the field playing one round each at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill before returning to Pebble Beach for the weekend.
