photo from sfgate.com: Nick Taylor follows his shot from the ninth tee of the Monterey Peninsula County Club Shore Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Pebble Beach, Calif

By Jeremy Harness

PEBBLE BEACH–Nick Taylor got out to an early lead on Thursday, taking advantage of the usually-easier scoring conditions at Monterey Peninsula Country Club to earn a two-shot advantage by firing an eight-under round of 63.

Thursday marked the lowest round that he has scored since 2013,

He birdied the first two holes on the front nine, and then followed that up with two more birdies on the last two holes on the front side.

He was not done there. He got out to the par-five 10^th and made eagle before making back-to-back birdies at the 15^th and 16^th holes.

Two shots behind him are Patrick Cantlay, who shot a six-under round of 66 at Spyglass Hill, considered to be the toughest of the three courses in the tournament rotation, and Chase Seiffert, a relative unknown on the PGA Tour who shot the same score at Pebble Beach on Thursday.

The two guys who are one stroke behind Cantlay and Seiffert are Harold Varner III, who played Pebble Beach on Thursday and shot a five-under round of 67, as well as Richy Werenski, who took on Monterey Peninsula and shot five-under.

Tied with those two, in a tie for fourth, is Cal product Max Homa is tied for fourth after the first round, by virtue of his five-under round of 67 at Spyglass Hill, along with Stockton native Ricky Barnes.

The most recognizable name on the leaderboard, Phil Mickelson, is currently in a tie for 12^th after shooting a four-under 68 at Spyglass.

He started his round at the 10^th hole and parred out until he got to the 15^th, where he stumbled and made bogey. He quickly rallied, however, and made three birdies in a row to close out that side.

Mickelson then turned around on the front side and made two birdies – at the second and at the fifth – to card his four-under round.