Bhatia and Hisatsune Are Playing a Different Game at Pebble Beach

Here’s what I noticed watching the first two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am unfold: Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune aren’t just leading this tournament—they’re playing a different sport than everyone else.

I’ve covered 35 years of professional golf, caddied for Tom Lehman, and sat through 15 Masters tournaments. I know what dominance looks like. And what we’re seeing from these two at 15-under after 36 holes isn’t just good scoring on a receptive golf course. It’s a masterclass in course management and mental discipline that separates the truly elite from the merely talented.

The Bogey-Free Zone

Let’s start with Bhatia’s 44-hole bogey streak spanning his last three rounds. That’s not luck. That’s not even just good play. In my experience, avoiding bogeys over that distance—especially on two courses as demanding as Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill—requires a level of course awareness and risk management that most tour players simply don’t possess consistently.

“Bogey-free around these golf courses is great,” Bhatia said. “Greens can get bumpy, you can get some really tough putts with how much slope’s on the greens. So I’ve been really steady inside 5 to 6 feet. … It’s just fun when you feel like you’re in a groove.”

Notice what he’s emphasizing: the short game. Not the driver. Not even the approach shots. Bhatia’s talking about being “steady inside 5 to 6 feet,” which tells me he’s prioritizing position over aggression. He’s taking what the course gives him, capitalizing on the par-5s when they’re receptive, and crucially, he’s not trying to hero his way out of trouble when it comes.

Compare that to Rory McIlroy’s approach. Here’s a defending champion and one of the best players in the world, and what’s the story on him?

“I feel like I’ve been a little bit wasteful the last two days and maybe not capitalized on those great starts,” said McIlroy, who was six shots behind.

McIlroy has the talent. McIlroy has the experience. But he’s making three-putt double bogeys from four feet and shanking chips into bunkers. That’s not a talent gap—that’s a mental gap. And right now, Bhatia’s filling it while McIlroy’s trying to climb out.

The Weather Wild Card

Here’s something I want to emphasize that the casual fan might miss: the two-course rotation is creating genuine strategic complexity this year. Thursday was pristine. Friday was tougher. And the weekend? Pebble Beach is going to “show more of its teeth,” as Jordan Spieth noted.

In my three decades covering the tour, I’ve seen how quickly momentum can shift when conditions change. Bhatia and Hisatsune got the best of it early—soft greens, light winds, scoring conditions that made both courses feel almost benevolent. But they’re not resting on that. Hisatsune’s comment about hoping for “no wind” on the final course reveal someone who understands that the tournament isn’t won Friday—it’s won when Pebble Beach gets teeth.

Scottie’s Slow Burn

Now, let’s talk about Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, sitting nine shots back. This is where the story gets interesting—not in a negative way, but in a way that tells us something important about elite golf.

“I’d say ‘inched’ would be the operative word there,” Scheffler said of his progress. “We’ll see how it shakes out at the end of the day. I mean, it’s going to take two pretty special rounds, really three special rounds, but you’re never out of it. We’ll see what happens with the weather.”

Scheffler’s not panicking. He’s not making excuses. He’s acknowledging reality while keeping perspective. Nine shots is a lot, but on a course like Pebble Beach where conditions shift and scoring can explode, it’s not insurmountable. Having caddied in the ’90s, I learned that the best players—and Scheffler is absolutely one of them—understand the difference between playing well and being in position to win. Right now he’s doing the former while working to get to the latter.

The fact that he scrambled to shoot 66 on Friday and it’s still only good enough for tied 33rd? That’s not a commentary on Scheffler. That’s a commentary on how hot the scoring is this week across the field.

The Swift Distraction That Wasn’t

Let me address the Taylor Swift storyline directly: it was overblown media fodder, and frankly, the tour handled it well by letting it exist without making a spectacle out of it. Ticket sales spiked. The crowd was energized. But it didn’t interfere with the actual golf, and that’s what matters.

Mackenzie Hughes’s comment about “pandemonium” if Swift had attended is telling—and it’s exactly why she didn’t. The PGA Tour’s gotten savvier about managing celebrity involvement at these events. The amateur field, the celebrity angle, the entertainment value—it all serves a purpose without compromising the competitive integrity of the event.

Looking Ahead

What strikes me most about this leaderboard is that Bhatia and Hisatsune aren’t running away because they’re hitting better shots than everyone else. They’re leading because they’re making better decisions. Bhatia’s 44-hole bogey streak, Hisatsune’s ability to bounce back from consecutive bogeys with aggressive birdies—that’s course intelligence. That’s maturity. That’s the kind of thing that separates champions from talented players.

Fowler and Burns are lurking one shot back. McIlroy’s only six shots away. Scheffler figures to make his run. But if I’m booking my wagers, I’m not betting against the two players who are currently playing the best golf on the course. That’s not analysis—that’s just watching the scoreboard and understanding what it’s telling us about who’s in control right now.

The weekend should be fascinating.