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Danny Lee of New Zealand - Source: Getty Images
New Zealand No.1 Danny Lee shares the round one lead at the AT & T Pebble Beach National Pro Am after his best score on the PGA Tour a superb nine under par 63.
Lee, who has made the cut from one of four events in 2012, made five birdies and two eagles, including a hole out on the par four 11th from 106 yards, to share the lead at one of the PGA Tour's iconic venues.
South Korean Charlie Wi and American Dustin Johnson, a two time winner of the event, matched that number for a three way tie at the top of the leaderboard.
The course record of Pebble Beach is 62 held by American's Tom Kite in 1983 and matched by David Duval in 1997 when "lift, clean and place" was in effect.
Lee equaled the low round at the tournament with no placing.
The former World No.1 amateur began his round on the 10th, made eagle on 11 before back to back birdies on 16 and 17 to make the turn in four under 32.
He kept up his momentum through the turn as he made a birdie at one, an eagle at two and then added birdies on five and seven, one of the signature holes at Pebble Beach, to come home in 31 and post a 63.
It could have been even better as the former US Amateur Champion lipped out for birdie on the 8th his penultimate hole and left his birdie short on his last to finish at nine under.
"I had some good breaks," Lee told reporters of his two eagles. "I holed out from a 100 yards away (on 11) ... and I was in the left bunker in a very tough place to get up and down from there (on two).
"I had to pick up slack to stop the ball, and it picked up slack and went in," smiled the South Korea-born New Zealander, who burst onto the world stage by winning the 2008 US amateur championship.
"After that, I got good momentum going and I played really nicely."
It is a standout highlight for the 21-year-old so far on the PGA Tour after he made name for himself by making a hole in one in his second event at the Humana Challenge in California two weeks ago.
Lee is the first New Zealand golfer to play on the PGA Tour
since Tim Wilkinson since 2009.
American Ken Duke covered the back nine in a record eight-under 28
at Pebble Beach to complete a 64, finishing a glorious sun-splashed
day level with PGA Tour rookie Brian Harman who also started out at
Pebble Beach.
Tiger Woods, making his first appearance on the US circuit this
year, was three under with three holes to play at Spyglass Hill,
the most difficult of the three layouts.
- With Reuters
