Rory Mcilroy won the AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am in a critical week for PGA Tour.
Getty Images | Ezra shaw
Pebble Beach, Calif. – It was difficult to know which opponent Rory Mcilroy was following – Golf course or sunset – but it was not difficult to see the result. He was flying.
It was early Tuesday night in Pebble Beach, five days before Mcilroy approved the winner of the biggest event of the new 2025 PGA Tour season, and the mood was easy. Mcilroy and Caddy Harry Diamond were locked up in the latest edition of a year -old round competition. Diamond sets a result to reach mcilroy. If Mcilroy shoots the number or better, it wins; If he does not, he is lost.
On Tuesday evening, the number was four under, and Mcilroy was in good position. He would make three birds before going to the 14th box. They would play two -thirds of the golf course in approximately two hours. A stretch of the waited cold closure in smooth weather. The victory was safe.
Mcilroy, Diamond and another tall friend were some of the only spirits left in the course while reaching 14, but loneliness did not seem to disturb them. In a week when Mcilroy would be sought inside Delicate and clear ways to perform the load for a tour in a “year of touch“(Their words), Tuesday afternoon are a time to worry about smaller things.
For the evening, at least, Mcilroy could forget grant – In the tournament, his fans, the media, all – And don’t forget to get.
As long as he moved quickly.
“He can reach four under … If we end up,” Diamond said, laughing as he looked at the horizon from the 14th box. “Otherwise, he will be truly bored when it is dark at 18. ”
At a time when Rory Mcilroy arrived at the same place on Sunday at Pebble Beach, everyone within 100 yards (and 100 miles) knew what was coming next.
In the 14th hole, Mcilroy burst a tee shot on a cypress tree falling to the right of the Tee box and from orbit. His driving appealed more than 100 meters in the air, securely falling into the center of the road that seemed like half a mile away. He remained with a 7-hekur in green in the longest, most compelling hole in the course. His ball was the manifestation of the physical power of his golf game. He seemed to be pointing a finger on the chest of the longest players hit on the planet and asking… Is it all?
“We both hit seven there,” said Mcilroy’s game partner, Sepp Straka, who is not easy at all. “His was 7-when, and mine was 7-WOOD”
A few minutes later, Mcilroy left the 14th green with a fuss. Following Pare’s disappointment on Friday and Saturday, Mcilroy made a Eagles to climb four. He would give Pebble beach a signature moment. He would give PGA Tour an indispensable conclusion. And he would give the rest of the field someone to follow. In four short holes, Mcilroy would be the fourth player ever – after Jack, Tiger and Phil – To win 27 PGA Tour events.
The 14th hole was the turning point on Sunday, but this time it was not a quiet resting place, it was the main part of a glorious chaotic afternoon in PGA Tour. Mcilroy once again showed his wonderful physical gifts and reminded the world that few players are more convincing television when they are maximally.
There is an irony in this fact, given that Mcilroy himself suggested that his performance on Sunday was not, in fact, very convincing.
“The one I will return to is the US open because it is the one that hurts the most,” he said on Sunday. “I think the only thing I did today really is that I didn’t get too lit. Of course it feels a little more boring to me. It may seem a little more boring in the golf course, but it’s definitely more effective . “
We will allow television numbers to judge the entertainment value of Rory’s performance, but PGA Tour is probably not complaining with Sunday’s result. After an offseason in the world of golf filled with existential fear around TV estimates and “entertainment products”, the tournament needed his first signature event in the US to give the goods.
Sunday’s last round in Pebble Beach gave golf what he has lacked a lot in his latest ratings: a convincing tournament on a convincing golf course won by a very convincing golf player. That the providential ability of Mcilroy’s ball stroke provided part of the other world’s leading points? Well, we will call it the extra.
But more surprising to everyone was what gave the winner’s last round to Sunday. This was evident in the moments after the victory materialized, when a line without victory on the US land dating back to the end of last year US Open. Mcilroy treated the lead with coolness, made measured decisions and eventually won easily. This has not often been the case in the last decade, and it was a welcome change.
“Ten years ago with a three-store lead in the 18th hole here I would hit 5-And by tee? Maybe not,” he said. “This is about trying to get the best out of yourself. That’s really.”
The discussion has already begun for what it earns TOOL for mcilroy. Does it represent something about his ability to “win the big one”? Masters, where mcilroy can end a tortured tango with Grand Slam career, stays only two months away.
Mcilroy lives with diplomas in the back of his mind, and he will need everything he has to give to climb back to the mountain – Pinehurst told us this. Thankfully, we saw much later that the relationship is not just one -sided.
“I’ve had some tight calls in St. Andrews, which is one of those important places in our game, Augusta National, being another,” he said. “Being able to win one of those iconic countries is great.”
When writing the story of Rory Mcilroy’s career, Sunday victory at AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am will not be in the first sentence or paragraph. In fact, it may not be in history at all. And yet, if you were hoping to see Mcilroy’s career story, it was right there on the screen at Pebble Beach. Both on Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday evening.
Rory gave, and golf returned.
James Colgan
Golfit.com editor
James Colan is a news editor of news and features in Golf, writing stories on the website and magazine. He manages the hot germ, golf media vertical and uses his experience on camera across brand platforms. Before entering Golf, James graduated from Siracuse University, during which time he was a caddy scholarship receiver (and Astuta Looper) in Long Island, where he is. He can be reached on James.colgan@golf.com.
