Justin Timberlake, Justin Rose just having fun at Pebble Beach pro-am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Three months ago in the Bahamas, Justin Timberlake reeled in a 40-pound Wahoo with boat mate Justin Rose by his side.
“I thought he was going to have to tap out, but he eventually got it in the boat,” Rose said.
On Saturday at Pebble Beach Golf Links, during the third round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the A-list actor and singer nearly bagged a hole in one on the iconic 7th hole, with Rose once again looking on as his playing partner.
With the sun shining for the first time this week, with the Carmel Bay waves crashing softly against the rocks below and thousands of spectators looking on, Timberlake pulled a wedge from the bag and put a solid swing on the ball. The arc was welcomed and the result shook all onlookers as the ball hit two feet behind the hole, hopped back nearly into the hole and came to rest one foot from the hole. A tap-in birdie soothed the agony of coming so close.
“We had some wind coming off the back and I just tried to play it down,” Timberlake said. “That would have been something, right?”
“When the crowds turn up,” Rose added, “he plays his best. Or when there's the iconic 7th hole at Pebble, he'll stiff it. You know what I mean?”
“I just close my eyes, really,” Timberlake said.
“It's all skill,” Rose said.
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Well, Timberlake must have had his eyes closed a lot during shots because he delivered many more times. He and Rose finished birdie-birdie-birdie to make the amateur cut for Sunday’s final round. On the 17th, for instance, Timberlake chipped in for par, which Rose followed with a birdie.
Timberlake’s near ace was the shot of the day during a sun-splashed highlight reel as the celebrities descended on Pebble. Bill Murray dropped one-liners throughout his round and dropped a 10-footer for birdie on the 7th, which prompted him to hurl his putter in celebration. Larry the Cable Guy scared a lot of fans with shots into the galleries. Wayne Gretzky stiffed a couple shots and signed as many autographs as Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
And Jordan Spieth burst out to a 6-shot lead with a 7-under-par 65.
“Today is one of the most fun days of golf I've had, certainly, in any type of pro-am format. That was incredible,” Rose said. “We came in with like a glimmer of hope today to try and make the cut and this guy brought his A-game today. It was incredible. Chipping in, holing putts, carrying me. Every time I made bogey, he doubled down and made a net birdie. So it was amazing out there. And like you say, walking up the 18th at Pebble is a special moment.
“But to share it with J.T. today was incredible.”
Thursday wasn’t bad, either, despite nasty weather that caused a suspension of play.
“I wouldn't even dream of playing golf in the elements we got hit with,” Timberlake said. “And to watch (Rose), who is obviously a very good friend, but to watch him really go to work and like hit the ball in the 40-mile-an-hour wind with rain and just smash it through it, it's like you're like, ‘Oh, yeah, these guys are really good.’”
Rose saw how really good Timberlake is on Friday.
“There's always a guy back there with a guitar,” Rose said of their second round at Spyglass Hill. “And then J.T. picks up a guitar and just did something acapella for a group of 20 people and you're like, ‘All right, that's pretty special, too.’ So we're all good at our thing.”
The two met a few years ago at Lake Nona in Florida and hit it off. They stay in regular contact and their relationship helped convince Rose to play Pebble this year.
“It’s a tournament I’ve always wanted to play. And I guess they got spoiled with the weather last year and I thought, ‘Man, this is a great tournament, I’m going to do this every year,’” he said. “Then after two days this week, I’m thinking I’m never going to come back again.
“And after today I’m coming back next year.”
The two played a few rounds in Los Angeles earlier this year, prepping for the tournament, Rose said with a laugh. Rose said Timberlake was working hard on his game but struggling. Timberlake played OK the first two days but when the sun finally arrived to these parts, Timberlake lit up.
“He’s always clutch in the moment,” Rose said. “He seems to step up to the moment when he’s needed. A hole like 7 at Pebble, it’s a moment you kind of like to step up on. And he did. That would have been insane if he’d made a 1 there. A SportsCenter moment.”
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