Rory McIlroy and Pebble Beach seem like a match made in golf heaven and it certainly looked that way as McIlroy turned in a performance as sparkling as the setting, rolling to a two-stroke victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Sunday.
There was a point early in the final round when seven players were within one stroke of the lead before McIlroy separated himself with a nearly flawless performance to collect his 27th PGA Tour win.
In his first tour start this year, McIlroy’s week was sprinkled with the spectacular. There was the slam-dunk ace on the par-3 15th hole at Spyglass Hill in the first round, a brilliant Saturday 65 in miserable conditions at Pebble Beach and the final nine holes he played Sunday that were so good it was almost gaudy.
“To win on one of the cathedrals of golf is really, really cool. It was really cool to have that walk up 18 and sort of take it all in.”
Rory McIlroy
It somehow seemed fitting that the 35-year-old Northern Irishman would take down a title at one of the game’s most iconic settings.
“Some would argue the courses I have won on are not a Pebble Beach or an Augusta. To win on one of the cathedrals of golf is really, really cool,” said McIlroy, who finished at 21-under-par 267.
“It was really cool to have that walk up 18 and sort of take it all in.”
McIlroy locked down the trophy when he played the 10th through 15th holes in 5-under par Sunday, spiked by an eagle at the par-5 14th hole.
“It really gave me a cushion to play the last four holes,” said McIlroy, who played the weekend in 13-under par at Pebble Beach.
Behind McIlroy, multiple players tried to keep pace and it was Lowry who came the closest, making a birdie at the finishing hole for a solo second-place finish. Having played with and against McIlroy since they were youngsters, the 37-year-old Irishman had a sense of what and who he was up against.
“I just hung in there. I told (my caddie) let’s just try and make Rory win this," Lowry said. "Let’s not give it to him.
“When players like Rory McIlroy turn up with their ‘A’ game, they’re pretty much impossible to beat. I thought he was great out there.”
Lucas Glover, who tied for third, had similar feelings.
“When he’s good, he’s great and when he’s not great, he’s good. There’s a reason he’s got 20-something wins and a bunch of majors and the game he has.
“He’s a talent, one of the best in the world and one of the best to ever play.”
Early in the week, McIlroy talked about his focus in the new season, pointing to the Open Championship returning to Royal Portrush in his homeland and the chance to win a Ryder Cup on American soil.
Beyond those, there is the quest to build on an already legendary career.
“It’s a really cool way to start the season,” McIlroy said. “I am just as determined this year as any year I’ve been on the PGA Tour. To get a win this early means a great deal.”
Ron Green Jr.