Rory McIlroy wins by two shots at ‘cathedral of golf’ Pebble Beach

Rory McIlroy claimed a two-shot victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, a course he referred to as a “cathedral of golf.”

McIlroy, 35, closed with a final-round six-under to finish 21-under-par for the tournament, two shots ahead of Ireland’s Shane Lowry in second.

The victory was McIlroy’s 27th on the PGA Tour in what was his first appearance on the circuit this year. The Northern Irishman also leaves with a new trophy and $3.6 million in prize money.

After claiming the win with a par on the 18th hole, McIlroy explained that his first-placed finish feels even more special given Pebble Beach’s iconic setting on the Californian coast.

“There’s a few what I would call ‘cathedrals of golf,’” the world No. 3 said about the course on Sunday. “Here, Augusta, St. Andrews, obviously. Maybe a few more you could add in there. And I had a big fat zero on all of those going in here. So to knock one off of Pebble is very cool.”

McIlroy and Lowry entered Sunday’s final round level at the top of the leaderboard, with both players recording remarkable holes-in-one in the opening round.

But Lowry struggled for consistency on the front nine on Sunday, carding three bogeys alongside two birdies. McIlroy, meanwhile, had two birdies and just one bogey through the same stretch to create some distance between the two former Ryder Cup teammates.

And despite Lowry mounting a charge on the back nine with five birdies, McIlroy was able to go blow-for-blow, shooting four birdies and an eagle. He also had to stave off pressure from other competitors, with six players having a share of the lead at various points across the final round.

“It’s a really cool way to start the season,” McIlroy said. “To get this win this early means a great deal, and hopefully I’ll keep the momentum going into Torrey Pines (for The Genesis Invitational) in a couple weeks’ time.”

McIlroy’s victory comes after making a ball switch, a change he “sort of stumbled upon” and credited for his hole-in-one.

“I was messing around at the Grove (in Hertfordshire, UK) the other day,” McIlroy said on Thursday about his switch from the 2024 TaylorMade TP5x to the TP5. “This has got to be, like, Thursday last week.

“I just started to hit some chips with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how I felt. And I hadn’t really tested the 2024 TP5 and I loved how it was reacting around the greens. … I started hitting some 60, 70-yard shots with it and it was coming off a much lower launch, but spinnier.”

He added: “This seems to launch probably a degree lower for me, but the spin rate’s very, very similar, which I really like. Yeah, did some testing with it, really like it. Doesn’t seem to lose any speed with the driver either, even though it’s a lower-compression golf ball.”

Elsewhere, American Scottie Scheffler closed with a final-round 67 to finish ninth as he made his first appearance after sustaining what he called a “stupid” injury to his hand while rolling out ravioli dough with a wine glass on Christmas Day.

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