Rory McIlroy Archives - Sports Al Dente

Rory McIlroy dominates at Pebble Beach, cruising to an easy win in Pebble Beach, California

Pebble Beach looked just as amazing as it always does, and so did Rory McIlroy.

The mix of one of golf’s biggest stars and one of America’s most beautiful coastal courses gave the PGA Tour just the boost it needed. Both McIlroy and Pebble Beach lived up to their reputations on Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

McIlroy was playing with great confidence, hitting his shots well and making two important birdies after the turn, when there were several contenders still in the hunt. Then, he made an incredible shot on the 14th hole, driving the ball over a tree down the fairway, leaving him with just a 7-iron to the green on the 571-yard hole, setting up an eagle.

“We both hit 7 there,” said Sepp Straka. “His was 7-iron, mine was 7-wood.”

With his lead secure, McIlroy cruised down the 18th fairway, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the calm surf. He finished with a par for a 6-under 66, winning by two shots over his friend Shane Lowry.

“There’s some venues in our game that just mean a little bit more than others,” McIlroy said. “That’s probably to do with the history and the people who have won on those courses and what they’ve meant to the game of golf.”

McIlroy has had a few close calls at places like St. Andrews and Augusta National, so winning at Pebble Beach felt special to him.

On a day when six players shared the lead at different points, McIlroy took control for good after making a birdie from a bunker on the 10th hole, hitting a 6-iron to 18 feet into the wind. He then made another birdie with a 7-iron on the 12th hole to extend his lead to two shots.

But the 14th hole was the moment McIlroy really pulled away. From there, no one else could catch him. McIlroy finished with a 5-iron off the tee and was able to celebrate his victory with the crystal trophy, marking his 27th win on the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlroy reacts after putting on the 18th hole

Among active players, only Tiger Woods (82 wins) and Phil Mickelson (45 wins) have more titles. Mickelson was 35 when he reached 27 wins, the same age McIlroy is now.

Lowry had been tied for the lead but fell behind after hitting his second shot on the sixth hole over a cliff. He recovered well, shooting 31 on the back nine, including a birdie on the 18th, to finish second with a 68.

Lucas Glover (67) and Justin Rose (68) finished just one shot behind. Straka, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, struggled with a 72 and tied for seventh.

“I always say I believe when players like Rory McIlroy show up and they have their ‘A’ game, they’re pretty impossible to beat,” Lowry said.

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s number-one player, tied for ninth after a 67, despite dealing with some hand problems earlier in the season.

McIlroy had been inspired by Scheffler’s ability to avoid mistakes. McIlroy adjusted his usual aggressive style and played more carefully this week, finishing with just one bogey over the weekend, even in the cold, windy weather on Saturday.

McIlroy has said that this year is important for him, with a focus on events like the Masters, the British Open, and the Ryder Cup. But starting the season with a win at Pebble Beach was a great way to kick things off.

Rory McIlroy reacts after putting on the 15th hole

“It’s a really cool way to start the season,” McIlroy said. Winning always makes things better, but this week also included a hole-in-one at Spyglass Hill in the first round and his first time playing Cypress Point.

Now, with another trophy in hand, McIlroy heads to Florida with plenty of momentum for the rest of the year.

The sixth hole was where the field started to split. Rose hit his tee shot over the cliff, and Tom Kim’s second shot went toward the ocean. Lowry, in the last group, made a bogey on the hole.

But McIlroy was clearly in control from the second hole, when he made a great pitch over a bunker to set up a short birdie putt.

After McIlroy’s only bogey on the tough eighth hole, he pulled away and left the others fighting for second place.

“When he’s good, he’s great,” said Lucas Glover. “There’s a reason he’s got so many wins and major championships. Impressive round today under pressure.”

McIlroy’s victory at Pebble Beach was his second signature win, following his win at Quail Hollow last year. He earned $3.6 million for the victory, finishing with a total of 21-under 267, just one shot from the tournament record.

Lowry at least made McIlroy work for the win, staying within range until he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that could’ve made things more interesting. However, Lowry’s final birdie gave him $2.16 million for second place.

Rory McIlroy Criticizes Potential Ryder Cup Payment Shift in Dubai

Rory McIlroy has said he would be willing to pay to play in the Ryder Cup after it was revealed that members of the U.S. team could earn $400,000 (£315,000) each for their participation in next year’s event in New York. McIlroy feels that offering money to players could harm the “purity” of the competition, which is traditionally seen as an event driven by passion and national pride, not financial incentives.

Under pressure from top players, the PGA of America is considering breaking tradition by paying the 12 U.S. team members from a $5 million fund. However, no such plan is being discussed for the European team, and McIlroy, one of Europe’s top players, is fully in favor of this stance.

“I personally would pay for the privilege to play in the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said. “I’ve come a long way in this, especially with the Olympics, but the two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and Olympics, partly because no money is involved.”

McIlroy acknowledges that the Ryder Cup generates significant revenue and understands the argument for compensating players, but he insists that the essence of the event is not about money. He said, “It’s one of the top five biggest sporting events in the world, so I get the argument that the talent could be getting paid.” However, McIlroy emphasizes that the Ryder Cup holds greater value, especially for Europeans, due to its deep connection with the sport’s tradition and identity.

“The Ryder Cup is so much more than that, especially to the Europeans and this tour,” McIlroy explained. “We’ve all had a conversation about it with Luke [Donald, the European captain], because we obviously heard [about the Americans], and the common consensus is that the $5 million paid to the team would be better spent on the DP World Tour to support other events and even the Challenge Tour.

For us, it would give the event a different feel. What we’ve done very well over the last decade is maintain a cohesive group, and we wouldn’t want anything to change that.”

Rory McIlroy of the PGA Tour talks before The Showdown

Though McIlroy understands the reasoning behind the payment to U.S. players, he questions whether it’s really necessary. “I don’t think any of the 24 players on either team needs the $400,000,” McIlroy stated. “Every two years, we play and there are 104 weeks between the events, and for 103 of them, you can play golf and get paid. That seems reasonable enough.”

McIlroy added, “If you go back to the purity aspect, paying the players would make the competition seem a little less pure. But it wouldn’t change anything from a European perspective. We would all welcome the money if it didn’t change the dynamic of what we have, but I think it would change the dynamic.”

The Ryder Cup, which will take place at Bethpage in New York next September, has already faced criticism due to high ticket prices, with some tickets costing $750 per day. McIlroy admits that this issue will bring a new layer to the conversation, especially now that players might benefit from the event’s growing revenue.

“It makes us look very unrelatable to the average person on the street because of how much money is being pumped into the game,” McIlroy said. “But at the same time, that’s not our fault. There are people willing to pay what they are willing to pay, and we are fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.”

McIlroy also acknowledged that there are two sides to the issue. “I’m not criticizing at all because if the Ryder Cup generates $100-200 million in revenue, you would think the talent should get a piece of that,” he said.

“That’s not the way it has been, and as Europeans, we don’t want to change because of how good it has been the last few years. But it’s reasonable that if you put on an event that generates so much revenue, some of it should go back to the talent. That hasn’t been the case with the Ryder Cup, and that would be a massive change.”

McIlroy made these comments in Dubai, where he shot a 67 to tie for the lead with Tyrrell Hatton after the first round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.