AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Round 3: Akshay Bhatia Survives the Wind as Collin Morikawa Fires 62

Saturday at Pebble Beach came in two halves. In the first, Akshay Bhatia looked ready to run away with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In the second, the wind showed up, and suddenly everybody remembered this is still Pebble.

Bhatia shot a 4-under 68 to reach 19-under 197 and carries a two-shot lead into Sunday. Behind Bhatia is a three-way tie for second at 17 under: Collin Morikawa, who shot the round of the day with a 62, Jake Knapp (66) and Sepp Straka (67). Jacob Bridgeman (68) is alone in fifth at 16 under, and Hideki Matsuyama posted a bogey-free 67 to reach 15 under.

Out in 30, Back in 38

For seven holes, Bhatia was untouchable. Birdies came on six of the first seven, including a 102-yard tee shot at the little par-3 seventh that settled 8 feet away. Bhatia turned in 30 with a five-shot lead and the kind of momentum that ends tournaments early.

Then the breeze picked up and the scoring stopped. Bhatia played the last 11 holes in 2 over with no birdies, per the AP. A tee shot at the par-3 12th was blown over the green, and at the par-3 17th a bunker shot left a 4-footer that did not drop. Even the par-5 18th got away, with a makeable birdie putt missing in the wind to close a back-nine 38. "I was happy to make 5 there," Bhatia said.

"All in all, yeah, weird day," Bhatia said afterward, adding that the course simply played a lot harder late for some of the guys. Two shots is still two shots, and Bhatia has now led or co-led after each of the last two rounds.

Morikawa's Perfect Ball-Striking Day

The story of the day, though, was Morikawa. Starting the round eight back at 7 under, Morikawa hit all 18 greens in regulation, made 11 birdies against a single bogey and jumped 25 spots up the leaderboard into a share of second.

The scorecard was a two-act show. Morikawa birdied six of the first nine holes to turn in 30, gave one back at the 10th, then birdied five of the last six, finishing with a birdie at the par-5 18th. The PGA TOUR's numbers make it even louder: 6.45 strokes gained on approach, Morikawa's best approach performance in seven years as a pro and, by the TOUR's account, the best ball-striking round of a career built on iron play.

Context makes it bigger. The two-time major champion has not won since 2023, missed the cut in Hawaii in January, and has heard plenty about not converting chances. "I've been really focused on just trying to build this momentum, just making it myself and it's finally paid off today," Morikawa said. Asked about Sunday's forecast, Morikawa was blunt: "It's going to suck."

Knapp's Bookend Eagles

Knapp had the most fun card on the board. The round opened with a hole-out from 130 yards for eagle at the first, and it closed with another eagle at the par-5 18th after an approach to 12 feet. Sandwiched between them was enough grinding to post a 66 and land in Sunday's final group alongside Bhatia and Morikawa.

"It's not going to be pretty at all times. You're going to have some funky stuff happen," Knapp said, which reads like a weather report for Sunday.

Straka's 67 was quieter but just as effective, and Bridgeman shot 68 despite playing a shot from the beach at the 18th. Tommy Fleetwood (67), Maverick McNealy (63) and Sam Burns sit five back at 14 under. Burns briefly led after holing out for eagle to start the round but faded to a 72.

The Wind Takes Its Toll

The late wave got the worst of it. Balls wobbled on greens in the chilly air, and the final holes turned into a slog. Ryo Hisatsune, who began the day tied with Bhatia, had to replace the ball repeatedly on the 18th green when it kept moving, then missed a 6-foot par putt to cap a 74. Min Woo Lee shot 70 after a marathon finish that included a penalty drop and a ball that moved on the green.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy is out of it. A drive onto the beach at the fourth led to a triple bogey, and a drive out of bounds at the 18th produced a double. McIlroy shot 72 and is 10 shots back.

Scottie Scheffler did the opposite, quietly. A bogey-free 67 moved the world No. 1 up a dozen spots, but Scheffler is still eight back and, per the PGA TOUR, three shots outside the top 10 with that 17-event top-10 streak on the line.

Sunday Gets Ugly

Here is the setup: the final round has been moved up an hour because forecasts call for strong wind and heavy rain, with gusts the PGA TOUR's Signature Scroll pegged in the 30 to 35 mph range. The top six on the board have all broken 70 in every round so far, per Field Level Media. Nobody expects that to continue.

That changes the math on a two-shot lead. Bhatia has shown the ability to go deep, but also spent Saturday's back nine hanging on. Morikawa has the hottest iron game in the field. Knapp and Straka have both proven they can grind. On a day built for survival, every one of them is in it.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap, Signature Scroll and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media, ESPN. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.