PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers finally will get his name on the Wall of Champions behind the first tee at Pebble Beach, joining a long list that includes Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer.
Justin Rose would love nothing better than to be on an adjacent plaque for winning the PGA Tour event at the famous course.
Rose was a steady presence on a day of weather that changed by the minute, playing 19 holes in 9 under par and leaving the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the dark Sunday with a two-shot lead.
The final round of the wind-delayed tournament was to be completed Monday morning, and the 42-year-old Rose was in position to win for the first time in four years.
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Rose, who completed his third round with a 6-under 65 at Monterey Peninsula in the morning for a one-shot lead, was at 15 under through nine holes — his shot safely in the 10th fairway — when the final round was stopped as the sun dipped behind the Pacific horizon.
Denny McCarthy, who started the final round six shots behind, shot 29 on the front nine at Pebble Beach to soar into contention. He chose to continue the 16th hole, hitting his approach to 15 feet and then choosing to mark his ball and stop for the night.
He was at 13 under, along with Brendon Todd (through 12 holes) and Peter Malnati, who was in the final group with Rose.
The only winner Sunday was Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who with Ben Silverman of Canada won the pro-am. Because of the wind and other weather delays, the pro-am was cut to 54 holes, leaving only professionals for the final round.
Rodgers and Silverman won by one shot.
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He gets his name on the Wall of Champions in front of the first tee at Pebble Beach, which Rodgers called a “bucket list” item for him.
Rose would love to be on an adjoining plaque for tournament winners.
He was around the middle of the pack when he returned to Monterey Peninsula on Sunday morning to resume the third round. It was his golf ball blowing some 4 feet on the ninth green that led officials to stop play a day earlier.
Rose had hit 5-wood to 3 feet Saturday. He made the 7-foot putt Sunday morning, and he was on his way, playing 10 holes in 6 under for a 65 that gave him a two-shot lead.
After a slow start to the final round — a bogey at the start, even par through some of the scorable sections of the front nine — Rose drilled a long iron from the fairway bunker up the hill to 8 feet on the par-5 sixth hole for eagle, and followed that with an 18-foot birdie putt on the seventh to expand his lead.
Sunday featured wind, rain, briefly some hail and sunshine, and that was all in the three hours to complete the third round in the morning. By late afternoon, players went from umbrellas to seeing shadows in a span of 15 minutes.
The toughest stretch for Rose could await Monday, depending on the wind. If the forecast holds true — that’s a big if at Pebble Beach — the final stretch of holes has proven the most difficult. Six of the final seven holes have ranked among the eight hardest for the final round.
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Taylor Pendrith of Canada was among 20 players who finished. He went out in 31 and played bogey free for a 64 to post at 12-under 275. That was three shots behind Rose, but worth sticking around to see how it unfolded.
Rodgers did his share of heavy lifting. Silverman, coming off a Korn Ferry Tour win, finished at 1-over 216 and missed the cut. Rodgers, playing off a 10 handicap, said he had not played golf since training camp until last Monday.
They finished at 26-under par.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Keith Mitchell were four behind. Minus the weather, the leading 25 pro-am teams would have played Sunday afternoon.
“Josh Allen was telling me there’s going to be an asterisk by this win because there was only three rounds,” Rodgers said. “But I think our names are going to be up there for a long time.”
Ancer goes wire-to-wire at Saudi International
Abraham Ancer of Mexico closed with a 2-under 68 for a two-shot victory over Cameron Young in the Saudi International.
Ancer capped off a wire-to-wire victory, which featured a majority of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league. It was his third worldwide victory.
Young, the PGA Tour rookie of the year, received a release to compete in the Asian Tour event. It was his sixth runner-up finish in the last 16 months. He caught Ancer briefly on the front nine until a two-shot swing on the eighth — Ancer made birdie, Young made a bogey — restored Ancer’s two-shot lead.
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Lucas Herbert of Australia had a 65 and finished third.
Gavins survives water to win second European title
Daniel Gavins won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship after a wild finish that saw the Englishman twice find the water on the last hole before rolling in a title-clinching putt from 26 feet for double-bogey.
Gavins shot 3-under 69 to finish on 17 under overall, then had to wait to see if Zander Lombard — the third-round leader playing in the final group — could eagle the par-5 No. 18 to force a playoff.
Lombard’s eagle putt missed right and Gavins celebrated with his girlfriend in the scoring hut. It was his second European tour title after the ISPS Handa World Invitational in 2021.