PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rory McIlroy performed a sport almost as magnificent because the Pebble Seaside surroundings Sunday as he powered his well beyond a pack of contenders and closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory within the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am.
The mix of considered one of golf’s largest stars and America’s most scenic coastal golf course was the simply the spark the PGA Tour wanted, and each lived as much as their reputations.
“To win at one of many cathedrals of golf is basically cool,” McIlroy stated.
McIlroy was in full management of his photographs, main to 2 key birdies when he made the flip towards a pack of contenders. After which he delivered a haymaker, blasting his drive over a tree down the 14th fairway, leaving him solely a 7-iron to the 571-yard gap to arrange eagle.
“We each hit 7 there,” Sepp Straka stated. “His was 7-iron; mine was 7-wood.”
All that was left was a soothing stroll down the 18th fairway, sufficient sunshine to show the surf turquoise, sufficient of a cushion to don’t have any stress. McIlroy completed with a par for a two-shot win over Irish pal Shane Lowry.
“There’s some venues in our sport that simply imply slightly bit greater than others and that is in all probability to do with the historical past and the those that have gained on these programs and what these folks have meant to the sport of golf,” McIlroy stated.
“I’ve had a couple of shut calls at St. Andrews; Augusta Nationwide being one other one. So, to have the ability to get a win on a kind of iconic venues is superior.”
GolferStreakDustin Johnson14Tiger Woods14Phil Mickelson10Rory McIlroy8*Jon Rahm7Justin Thomas7Vijay Singh7Ernie Els7Paul Azinger7* Energetic streak
On a day when six gamers had not less than a share of the lead, McIlroy took the highest spot for good with a 6-iron out of the bunker to 18 ft for birdie on tenth gap right into a stiff breeze alongside the Pacific. He hit a towering 7-iron to eight ft for birdie on the par-3 twelfth to stretch his result in two.
After which the 14th was successfully the clincher, leaving everybody else scrambling for second. McIlroy hit 5-iron off the tee with a three-shot lead and was completely satisfied to get his palms on the crystal trophy, the twenty seventh of his PGA Tour profession.
Amongst gamers nonetheless actively enjoying, solely Tiger Woods (82) and Phil Mickelson (45) have gained extra. Mickelson additionally was 35 when he received his twenty seventh tour title.
Lowry fell out of a share for the lead when he despatched his second shot over a cliff to the appropriate of the par-5 sixth. However he shot 31 on the again 9, together with a birdie on the ultimate gap for a 68 that gave him second place alone.
Lucas Glover (67) and Justin Rose (68) had been one other shot behind. Straka, who began the ultimate spherical with a one-shot lead, had a 72 and tied for seventh.
“I at all times say I imagine when gamers like Rory McIlroy turns up they usually have their ‘A’ sport, they’re fairly unimaginable to beat,” Lowry stated.
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 participant whose season was delayed by minor hand surgical procedure from punctured glass whereas making ravioli, closed with a 67 and tied for ninth.
McIlroy was impressed by Scheffler’s tendency to keep away from errors, he stole a web page from that e-book this week at Pebble by tempering his aggressiveness nature. He made just one bogey on the weekend at Pebble Seaside, together with the moist, chilly wind of Saturday.
McIlroy has talked about this being an vital 12 months for him, although his focus was extra on April via September — an eleventh probability to finish the profession Grand Slam on the Masters, a return dwelling to Northern Eire for the Open Championship, a highway Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
This wasn’t a foul begin.
“It is a actually cool approach to begin the season,” McIlroy stated. Successful makes every thing sweeter, after all, however this week additionally featured a hole-in-one at Spyglass Hill within the opening spherical and his first time venturing over to play Cypress Level.
GolferCountryWinsVijay SinghFiji20Rory McIlroyN. Ireland15*Jim BarnesEngland15Greg NormanAustralia12Gary PlayerS. Africa12* Together with 2-shot win this week
And now he heads again to Florida with one other trophy and a great deal of momentum for what he hopes might be a giant 12 months.
The sixth gap started to separate the pack slightly. In consecutive teams, Rose went over the cliff along with his tee shot and Tom Kim hit down the hill towards the ocean along with his second shot. Lowry adopted him within the ultimate group, resulting in bogey.
However actually, McIlroy regarded as if he was the participant to beat from the second gap, when he hit a troublesome pitch from 50 yards away over a bunker to a again pin with sufficient top and spin to arrange a 2-foot birdie putt.
But it surely was after his lone bogey on the robust eighth gap the place he pulled away. Everybody else was left in a hopeless chase.
“When he is good, he is nice. And when he isn’t nice, he is good,” Glover stated. “There is a motive he is received 20-something wins and a bunch of majors and the sport he has. Spectacular spherical on the market in the present day underneath the strain and underneath the situations.”
McIlroy gained his second signature occasion — he gained at Quail Hole final 12 months — to earn $3.6 million. He completed at 21-under 267, one shot to par away from the match file.
Lowry not less than tried to make him sweat, staying inside vary till lacking a 7-foot birdie putt on the seventeenth gap that may have narrowed the hole to 2. His ultimate birdie, nevertheless, gave him a tidy comfort of $2.16 million for second place.
