Snedeker, Potter share lead at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, California (AFP) –

Brandt Snedeker hits a tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on February 8, 2013. He held the joint lead with Ted Potter at the halfway stage of the $6.5 million US PGA event.

Ted Potter opened with an eagle on his way to firing a three-under par 67 to share the lead with Brandt Snedeker after the second round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Snedeker, a runner-up the past two weeks, and Potter stood on eight-under 134 after 36 holes at the $6.5 million US PGA event, which is played over three different northern California courses near the Pacific Ocean.

Potter, a 29-year-old American who won his first PGA title last year at the Greenbrier Classic, fired a five-under 67 on Thursday at par-72 Pebble Beach and then backed it up with a solid round Friday at the par-70 Monterrey Peninsula Shore course.

Starting on the back nine, Potter eagled the par-5 10th hole but took back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th.

Ted Potter tees off on the 13th hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on February 8, 2013. Potter, a 29-year-old American who won his first PGA title last year at the Greenbrier Classic, fired a five-under 67 on Thursday at par-72 Pebble Beach and then backed it up with a solid round Friday at the par-70 Monterrey Peninsula Shore course.

He answered with two sets of back-to-back birdies, the first brace at the second and third and the other at the par-5 sixth and par-3 seventh. He closed with a bogey at nine.

Snedeker opened with a 66 at the Shore on Thursday and followed with a bogey-free 4-under 68 on Friday at par-72 Spyglass Hill.

Also starting on the 10th tee, Snedeker birdied the par-3 12th and par-5 14th then added back-to-back birdies at the par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth.

“I didn’t make a lot of putts today but look forward to going into the weekend, confidence is very high, and after last week, feel like my game is where I want it to be and two good days to go, should be a lot of fun,” Snedeker said.

Snedeker’s two runner-up finishes in the past two weeks came behind Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines and Phil Mickelson at the Phoenix Open.

“I take nothing but positives away from the way I’ve played the weekend the last couple events,” Snedeker said. “That’s how you win out here — you keep putting yourself in position, and the more times you do that the more success you’re going to have.”

Snedeker was due to play Pebble Beach on Saturday, the same course where the tournament will conclude on Sunday. He said playing back-to-back rounds at the same course will benefit him.

“The greens, we’ll know how they are bouncing,” Snedeker said. “Every day it’s been different, because Monterey Peninsula, you play it early in the week and it was different yesterday than I remember playing it.

“Spyglass I played earlier in the week and it was super-firm and today it was softer.

“So I think playing Pebble (in) back-to-back days is definitely an advantage.”

A quartet of players were at 7-under. John Merrick posted a 67 at the Shore, where Hunger Mahan carded a 69.

Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobsen got to 7-under with a superb six-under 66 at Pebble Beach. He teed off on 10 and his seven birdies included four in a row from 15-18. Patrick Reed posted a 69 at Pebble Beach that included three birdies without a bogey.