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Daly has lowest opening round in 10 years at Pebble Beach

John Daly takes a drink before hitting his approach shot 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. At right is Daly's caddie and fiancee Anna Cladakis. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) John Daly takes a drink before hitting his approach shot 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. At right is Daly's caddie and fiancee Anna Cladakis. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By Associated Press February 12, 2015 1 min read

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – 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.