A Nice Day at the Beach for Wiebe, Sluman : Golf: Under perfect conditions, they shoot 64 at Pebble to share first-round lead.

Last year, Mark Wiebe didn’t have any urge to play golf. His game was a shambles.

He lost his tour card while finishing 136th on the money-winning list and got into the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am only on a sponsor’s exemption.

Wiebe made the most of his opportunity Thursday.

He shot an eight-under-par 64 at Pebble Beach to share the first-round lead with Jeff Sluman, who also played at Pebble.

They challenged the course record of 62 set here in 1983 by Tom Kite.

Low scores were commonplace with the near-perfect weather conditions.

Tom Purtzer and P.H. Horgan III, who played on the Ben Hogan Tour last year, were tied for third at 66. They also played at Pebble Beach.

“If you’re ever going to get Pebble, this is one of the days you’re going to do it,” said Sluman, the 1988 PGA champion. “It’s a dream come true. The weather was absolutely magnificent.”

Wiebe, 34, was discouraged about his game last year. But he got a shot of adrenaline with his 64 at Pebble.

“If I’m going to shoot a 64, I’m glad it was here,” Wiebe said. “Taking nothing away from the other courses, but Pebble is my favorite.”

Wiebe shot 33-31, running off birdies from the 12th through the 16 holes. Four of his birdie putts ranged from eight to 25 feet.

He seemed stunned by his barrage of birdies.

“I didn’t realize I did it,” Wiebe said. “I had to keep going over my card (to make sure).”

Wiebe, who hasn’t won on the tour since 1985, said he wasn’t having any fun last year and was having a real problem with his swing.

He sought help from Carl Welty, a teaching pro at La Costa.

“I told him, ‘I really want you to find something wrong with me. If you tell me it (his swing) looks good, I’m going to slap you because I made nothing last year and was a hundred and something on the money list.’ ”

So, Welty analyzed Wiebe’s swing and offered some advice.

“He said I was standing too close to the ball, my club face was shut at address and I was taking the club outside,” Wiebe said. “Other than that, how does it look?”

Wiebe said he woke up at 5:15 a.m. Thursday for his his 8:50 tee time.

He was eager to play and even a bogey on the first hole didn’t discourage him. He birdied the second hole, a par-five of 502 yards, with a 45-foot putt from the fringe, and was charging the rest of the way.

“This is the ultimate,” Wiebe said of the Pebble Beach course, where he hopes to qualify for the U.S. Open in June.

Wiebe said the only time he became nervous was when he was on the 18th green, where he was trying to save par from 45 feet--which he did with two putts.

Sluman shot 32-32 and had eight birdies, three on the last four holes.

“I’ve never played particularly well here,” Sluman said. “I’m usually a slow starter on the year.”

His approach shots were the key to his round, leaving him with short birdie putts.

Purtzer was the first-round leader of the Tournament of Champions at La Costa earlier this month with a 66. But then he faded from contention.

He said he was fatigued by playing in December, a month he usually takes off from the game.

Purtzer three-putted for bogeys on two holes but had eight birdies, three on the finishing holes.

He said he doesn’t usually play here and doesn’t have much local knowledge of the courses.

Horgan, who finished third on the Hogan tour money list last year, had a bogey-free round with six birdies, his last coming on the 18th green with a 25-foot putt.

“If I had to pick a place to play, I would play Pebble every day of my life,” Horgan said.

It was that kind of a day.

Golf Notes

Seven players shot 67s, including Chip Beck at Poppy Hills and Lanny Wadkins at Spyglass Hill, the most difficult course on the rotation. . . . Arnold Palmer had a 71 at Spyglass. Jack Nicklaus and defending champion Paul Azinger had 76 and 74, respectively, on the same course.

It’s an ongoing story, actor Jack Lemmon’s quest to make the cut in the tournament. He is trying for the 19th time, this year with pro partner, Peter Jacobsen. “If Jack ever makes it (the cut), it will ruin his life,” Clint Eastwood said. “It’s like if Jack Benny had ever stopped being a tightwad--he wouldn’t have anything left to talk about. God forbid if Jack (Lemmon) would win it. We wouldn’t be able to stand him.” . . . Billy Andrade played a practice round with comedian Bill Murray Wednesday. Of the experience, Andrade said: “It’s kind of like a walking movie playing with him. You don’t know what’s inside his head.”