Low scoring’s a breeze at Pebble

PEBBLE BEACH -- Nothing’s official yet, but it seems clear that they’re starting to get a little too comfortable with good weather around here.

Normally, when the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am gets underway, all anybody thinks about is hauling out their thermal underwear and where the lifeboats are kept. After Thursday’s first round, in bright sunshine, players were actually complaining that there was a breeze.

A breeze? What’s next, unsightly clouds? Kent Jones noticed the troubling wind over his last five holes at Pebble Beach, where he still shoved a six-under-par 66 at the place, then shivered his way back to the locker room when he was forced to ride a cart because there wasn’t a van available.

Jones, 41, knows all about the vagaries of travel after losing his PGA Tour card last year and having to survive qualifying school, which he managed to do.

Jones just doesn’t know about hanging on to the lead. After all, in his 270 PGA Tour events, Jones has never finished in the top five.

“I don’t think, especially when everyone is playing different golf courses, that being in that lead is very important,” he said.

It isn’t much of an advantage anyway, only one shot over an eclectic group of John Mallinger, trying to avoid a sophomore slump; Roland Thatcher, who worked his way off the Nationwide Tour; and Brad Adamonis, a one-time Hooters Tour player.

The unchallenged star this week stumbled before he pulled himself together. The weather didn’t bother Phil Mickelson as much as the first 10 holes at Poppy Hills, which he played in four over. He rebounded, shot five under the rest of the way and finished at one-under 71.

“It wasn’t a great start,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson gave himself some momentum with an eagle at the 12th, where he hit his hybrid club from 240 yards and stopped the ball three feet from the pin.

“Although it’s not a great start, at Poppy Hills you want to shoot low, I at least put myself in position if I can get a good round in at Spyglass,” Mickelson said. “After the first 10 holes, it looked like I was close to shooting myself out of it.”

Mallinger was close to pulling out of it, before even hitting a shot. Bothered by tendinitis in his right shoulder, he said he would have withdrawn if it had been any tournament other than this one. The 28-year-old was third here last year, after beginning the last round one shot behind Mickelson.

In fact, Mallinger didn’t hit a single ball this week until his tee shot at his first hole Thursday at Poppy Hills, No. 10. He hooked it into some bushes on the par-five, but still wound up with a birdie and was on his way.

Michael Allen’s 68 at Poppy Hills placed him in a 10-way tie for fifth. What’s more, it might have signaled another step in the professional rebirth of the 49-year-old from San Mateo. Allen managed to avoid a 10th trip to qualifying school when he won $648,000 for second place at the Turning Stone Championship in September.

Allen is noteworthy not just for his perseverance, but also for winning the 1989 Scottish Open and for his victory at the Bordeaux Open, when he was paid in wine.

In between his stints on the PGA Tour, Allen worked as a club pro, a home builder and a salesman of artificial knees and hips.

“I guess it’s kind of survival,” he said. “I’ve never been a star, and trying to go out and get a job and stuff, you realize it’s not that easy.”

Greg Norman didn’t find it at all easy putting the greens at Poppy Hills and managed a four-over 76.

After missing the cut in his first four tournaments, Todd Demsey shot a 68 at Spyglass, once again using the long-handled putter that he abandoned briefly at Torrey Pines. Demsey, back on the PGA Tour for the first time since 1997, is probably best known for the two operations he had for a brain tumor.

Demsey said he has no problems being a role model for anyone who’s interested, but wants to be recognized equally for what he does on the course.

“I need to start playing better and maybe people won’t focus on that stuff,” he said.

Among those with Demsey and Allen at four under are last week’s winner, J.B. Holmes, plus Tim Herron, Olin Browne and Robert Floyd.

--

thomas.bonk@latimes.com