Ryo Hisatsune may not be a household name on the PGA Tour, but he is already building a following after his performances this week and last.
He was in contention late into the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, and now sits atop the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am leaderboard after an opening round 10-under 62.
The 23-year-old posted 10 birdies to go with eight pars during Thursday’s round. He leads by one over Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley.
There is still a long way to go before any talk of a win can be taken seriously, but he clearly has the talent for it.
Hisatsune played alongside his idol Hideki Matsuyama during the third round in Phoenix last week, leaving quite an impression.
Given his talent, it would not be surprising if a first PGA Tour win opened the door to even more success. But before that happens, there are two areas of his game that could be tightened up if he wants to leave with a trophy this week on the Monterey Peninsula.
Ryo Hisatsune opens with a 62 at Pebble Beach, sets unique record
This week marks Hisatsune’s 67th start on the PGA Tour.
It took Scottie Scheffler until his 70th start to pick up his first win.
If the 23-year-old Japanese can tidy up his driving and approach play, there is every reason to believe he could break through this week at Pebble Beach.
That may sound strange considering he just shot a 10-under-par 62, but the numbers tell an interesting story.
Despite the low score, Hisatsune was not particularly sharp off the tee or with his irons during the opening round.
He accomplished a feat on day one at Pebble, as highlighted by Justin Ray on X, that has not been seen since the ShotLink data system began in 2004.
“There are well over 300,000 rounds measured by ShotLink since 2004. Ryo Hisatsune today is the only player in that group to lose strokes to the field off the tee, lose strokes on approach shots, and still shoot 62 or lower,” Ray reported.
Ryo Hisatsune’s standout trait at Pebble Beach so far
Despite not being at his sharpest off the tee or with his irons, there was one part of Hisatsune’s game that stood out above all else on Thursday.
It was the Japanese prospect’s putting that really made the difference.
He gained over five strokes on the field and holed more than 150 feet of putts, which helped mask some struggles elsewhere.
But leaning that heavily on the putter is not a long-term solution. To stay in contention through the weekend, he will need to improve both his driving accuracy and iron play.
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