Sports

John Daly, wearing 'In the jungle' pants, comes out of nowhere with a 65 at Pebble Beach

Associated Press
Published | Updated

John Daly hits up to the 14th green of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) (The Associated Press)

Nick Watney putts on the third green of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) (The Associated Press)

Sunshine is always a pleasant surprise at Pebble Beach. Even more stunning is seeing John Daly near the top of the leaderboard.

With his best opening round in nearly 10 years, Daly played bogey-free on a magnificent day for a 7-under 65 and was one shot behind J.B. Holmes and Justin Hicks in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Daly is 48 and eligible for the Champions Tour next year. He hasn't made the cut at this event since his rookie season in 1991. But he took advantage of perfect weather and finished with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Hicks and Holmes each shot 64 at Pebble Beach, typically the easiest course in the rotation in benign conditions. Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker shot 7-under 64 at Monterey Peninsula.