PEBBLE BEACH — Maverick McNealy may know Pebble Beach Golf Links better than anyone in the field this week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It’s been that way for several years since his family once owned a home off the 16th fairway.
With his three younger brothers, McNealy sometimes practiced in the family’s extended backyard with plastic clubs.
The former Stanford standout is now in his eighth PGA Tour season. Saturday he shot a 9-under 63 to move into tie for seventh with Tommy Fleetwood, Min Loo Lee and Sam Burns at 14 under, five shots behind leader Akshay Bhatia.
McNealy, who claimed his lone PGA Tour title at the 2024 RSM Classic, was in the third group starting on the back nine. He collected 10 birdies, including four straight beginning on No. 1, his 10th hole of the round. McNealy’s only bogey occurred on the fifth hole.
A decade ago, McNealy was the world’s top-ranked amateur. He turned professional in late 2017. He finished second in AT&T in 2021 and tied for fifth in 2020. But he’s struggled in the tournament’s Signature Event status, finishing tied for 40th in last year and tied for 39th in 2024.
Land of winter sports
Alpine skiing and ice hockey reign during the winner in the mountainous country in Central Europe. Soccer rules in the summer and Sepp Strake and his twin brother Sam enoyed it until they began to focus on golf at age 11.
Three years later, the Straka family moved to Georgia, and the brothers’ skills quickly improved. The twins advanced through high school and at the University of Georgia. In 2018, Sepp Straka became the first Austrian golfer to earn a PGA Tour card.
With his third round, 5-under 67 Straka moved into a tie Saturday with Jake Knapp and Collin Morikawa at 17-under, two shots off the lead.
“I felt I did nothing right on the front nine,” said Straka, who tied for seventh last year. “Then (we) turned to the back nine and everything kind of went right. Tale of two sides there today for me.”
Straka claimed the last of his four PGA Tour titles and second during the 2025 season at the Truist Championship. He also finished second in the 2023 British Open.
“I just kind of hung in there today,” said Straka. “I think I was pretty far down the leaderboard at the turn when I was 1 over. But I hung in there and hit some really good shots once the wind kind of switched direction off the left.”
AT&T fraternity
Canadian Nick Taylor had a few difficult years keeping his playing privileges, but his win at the 2020 AT&T changed his career.
The 16-year PGA Tour pro is among two small groups in the tournament’s 80-year legacy on the Monterey Peninsula. He’s one of the six foreign players to win the tournament and one of three players, joining Jimmy Demaret (1952) and Phil Mickelson (2005), to claim a wire-to-wire title.
Taylor, who has one PGA Tour victory in each of the past three seasons, held a one-shot lead entering the 2020 AT&T’s final day, one shot ahead of Mickelson.
Playing in cold, blustery winds, Taylor finished with a 2-under 70 for a four-shot cushion over Kevin Streelman and a five-shot margin over Mickelson.
This week, Taylor is among seven former AT&T titlists in the 80-player field. He shot a third-round 71 and is among nine players, including No. 1-ranked Scotte Scheffler, at 11 under.
Former AT&T winners in the field also include Rory McIlroy (2025), Wyndham Clark (2024), Justin Rose (2023) Tom Hoge (2022), Daniel Berger (2021) and Jordan Spieth (2017).
