Birdie burst lifts Hoge to Pebble Beach lead

Tom Hoge birdied six of his last seven holes in a nine-under-par 63 on Thursday, taking a one-shot lead over an impressive Seamus Power in the first round of the PGA Tour Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Hoge played on the par-72 Pebble Beach Golf Links, one of three courses in use over the first three days along with the par-72 Spyglass Hill and the par-71 Monterey Peninsula layout.

Power had eight birdies in his eight-under 64 at demanding Spyglass Hill - where his score was three strokes better than Tyler Duncan's next-best outing at Spyglass.

Hoge, who was runner-up to Hudson Swafford at La Quinta in January, got off to a hot start in ideal conditions, rolling in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole at Pebble beach.

"That was really nice to see one go in early," he said.

Hoge added a short birdie putt at the 11th and a birdie at 18.

Leaderboard after Thursday @ATTProAm:1. @HogeGolf (-9)2. @Power4Seamus (-8)T3. Jonas Blixt (-7)T3. @Austin_SmoSmoT5. @Patrick_Cantlay (-6)T5. @AndrewPutnam1

He said a three-putt par at the second hole got him "a little fired up" and it showed when he launched his six-birdie burst with a seven-footer at the third.

"Four I was over the back of the green, pretty dead, just trying to get a chance for par and the chip went in somehow," he said.

He drained a 19-footer for birdie at the fifth, two-putted for birdie from 19 feet at the sixth and rolled in a 12-footer at the seventh. Hoge capped the run with another birdie bomb at the eighth.

Power's bogey-free effort was arguably more impressive. He teed off on 10 at Spyglass and after four birdies in his first 10 holes stormed home with birdies at his last four.

"It was a great finish," he said. "It's a funny old golf course - I hit a horrible tee shot on the par-3