Sepp Straka leads by 3 at Pebble Beach as rough weather awaits the weekend

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Sepp Straka got most of his work done before the weather started to turn Friday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, posting another 7-under 65 for a three-shot lead that left Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and everyone having to chase him.

Straka, coming off a win two weeks ago in the California desert, showed a game that works just fine at sea level in less-than-ideal conditions, particularly the final hour.

Out came the mittens and beanies. Down came the temperature, accompanied by a little rain.

McIlroy went from challenging for the lead to making four bogeys in a six-hole stretch, before he finished his wild back nine at Pebble Beach with a 25-foot eagle putt to salvage a 70 that left him six shots behind.

Scheffler took a walk down the beach on the 18th hole, turning a potential bogey into a par when he hopped down a pair of rock ledges to the sandy soil, managed to get his ball back into play and hit 6-iron to the green. He shot 70 and was seven behind.

Andrew Novak got his first victory on the PGA Tour, which comes with a plaque on the wall off the first tee, not a trip to the Masters. Novak teamed with billionaire investor Philippe Laffont to win the pro-am.

The weekend at Pebble Beach is only for the 79 pros — Ludvig Aberg had to withdraw with an illness that affected him last week at Torrey Pines — and for the hardiest of players.

Gusts approaching 30 mph are in the forecast, along with spots of rain. Pebble Beach, that felicitous meeting of land and sea, is a beast in nasty weather.

“Went from zero to about 20 miles an hour pretty quickly,” Straka said of his final four holes at Pebble Beach, which including missing a 3-foot par putt on the 16th for his only bogey of the round, and a 4-iron into 30 feet for a two-putt birdie at the last.

He was at 14-under 130, three shots ahead of Russell Henley, who had a 69 at Pebble Beach, and Cam Davis of Australia, who had a 68 at Spyglass Hill.

“It's going to change Pebble a lot,” said Tony Finau, who had a 67 at Spyglass Hill and was in a large group at 10-under 134.

“It's unfortunate because Pebble is pure right now, really pure. The ball is bouncing and anytime that’s the case at Pebble, I think it’s pretty magical to play. We’ll have to adjust, just adapt as we do out here and we’ll just have to do that on the weekend.”

McIlroy was magnificent with the driver and didn't get much out of it. Still, he opened with four birdies in seven holes — the scoring stretch at Pebble — until he missed the green on the par-3 12th, hit it heavy out of fairway bunker on the 13th and was out of position off the tee at the 15th and 16th holes, all leading to bogey.

His round ended with an eagle, and he was still in the mix.

Scheffler, in a 2025 debut delayed by minor surgery on his right hand for a freak puncture wound while making ravioli, ran off three straight birdies, including a shot to 2 feet on the tough eighth hole. That was the last of his birdies, but it was the par that saved him.

He pulled his tee shot left on the par-5 18th toward the largest water hazard in golf. Scheffler didn't see the ball carom off the rocks or splash in the Pacific Ocean. His only option was to go forward to the end of the tee box, so he opted to walk 300 yards and take a look.

He spotted a golf ball on the beach — it was his — and was able to move enough small rocks and seaweed to advance that to the fairway and make par.

“The unpredictability was the most difficult part,” Scheffler said. “After the tee ball, I definitely would have taken a par, no complaints.”

Not many from Straka, either, who would appear to be riding some momentum from his victory in The American Express. He attributes much of that to a slight change in his putting, going to a skinnier grip and moving his hands slightly higher.

“Palm Springs was the first time in a long time I felt that I had four really good putting rounds in a row,” Straka said. “Yeah, I think that’s definitely made a huge difference.”

But he pulled back when he was asked if was on a big run.

“A six-round run,” he said. “I mean, no, I would not classify that as a run. I think Scottie Scheffler is on a run.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Russell Henley points as he looks down the 10th fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Jason Day of Australia hits from a fairway bunker on the 10th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Scottie Scheffler reacts after missing a putt on the fourth hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Scottie Scheffler lines up a putt on the sixth hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Jordan Spieth, far left, leads his group to the seventh green at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Jordan Spieth hits from a bunker on the sixth hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after missing a putt on the third hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Scottie Scheffler hits from the sixth fairway at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Sepp Straka, of Austria, tees off on the fifth hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are opening the practice window for star linebacker Fred Warner with the hope that he could return if the team reaches the NFC title game.

Warner has been out since breaking and dislocating his right ankle in a loss at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12, with coach Kyle Shanahan initially describing it as a season-ending injury.

But Warner has been rehabbing since then and even was able to run on a side field last week during practice. Now he will be back officially at practice as the 49ers prepare to play Seattle in the divisional round on Saturday night and could return if San Francisco wins.

“We’re not doing much so he’ll walk through out there with us today and things like that, but hoping he can be ready for next week,” Shanahan said Tuesday.

Warner's presence on the practice field even for a walkthrough provided an emotional lift for the 49ers.

“For someone who really set the standard here, I would do anything to play with him again this year,” defensive tackle Kalia Davis said. “We want him back out there.”

Eric Kendricks is currently manning Warner's spot at middle linebacker after backup Tatum Bethune got hurt but wasn't ready to talk about what Warner's possible return would do for the team.

“We’re aren’t going to talk about next week, right? We’ve got Seattle,” Kendricks said. “We’ve got to beat Seattle. Let’s pump our brakes. We have to beat Seattle this week. .. This is what meaningful football is all about.”

The 49ers have made it this far despite losing their top two defensive players to injuries early in the season, with defensive end Nick Bosa going down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 and Warner getting hurt in Week 6.

Warner has been pushing to make a return and if he can, that would provide a needed boost. But Shanahan said the final decision will be in the hands of the team doctors.

“If he feels good and tells me he’s good, I’m probably going to think he is and trust him to get out there,” Shanahan said. “But you can't always think with your heart and emotionally. So you ask doctors where he’s at, all the things that these guys have to pass, just protocols that we have in with just sprinting and jumping and things like that. He’s got to hit all those before we feel it’s safe.”

But Shanahan added that as soon as the doctors clear Warner, "obviously it’ll be zero decision on my part.”

Warner had been a first-team All-Pro three straight seasons from 2022-24 and made the squad in 2020. His 947 career tackles are the second most for the team, behind Patrick Willis’ 950, as far as records go back to 2000.

Warner had missed only one game in his eight-year career before this injury, sitting out in 2021 with a hamstring injury. He played most of last season with a broken bone in his ankle and still earned All-Pro honors.

Warner signed a three-year extension worth $63 million in the offseason, keeping him under contract with the team through the 2029 season.

In other injury news, safety Ji'Ayir Brown (hamstring) and Luke Gifford (quadriceps) all would have been unable to practice had the team held a session. Receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee), linebacker Dee Winters (ankle), guard Dominick Puni (ankle) and defensive lineman Keion White (groin, hamstring) all would have been limited.

Shanahan also said tight end George Kittle is set to have surgery on his ruptured Achilles tendon on Wednesday. Kittle went on injured reserve Tuesday and tight end Brayden Willis was signed from the practice squad.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner is carted off the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken, File)

FILE - San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) runs to the locker room after pregame warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct 12, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit, File)