Rory Runs Away At Pebble Beach
A stunning driving performance delivers his first-ever triumph on the Monterey Peninsula. Plus, notes on the coverage hand-off before reports on wins by Kim, Schniederjans and Canter.
When asked last week if he’s concerned about the PGA Tour’s future, Rory McIlroy replied, “I’m concerned about myself.”
It looks like the plan to spend less time on Tour politics and devote more energy to some old-fashioned “me” time has begun to pay off.
In winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by three strokes over Shane Lowry, McIlroy added another world-class title to his 27-win PGA Tour portfolio. For a player consumed with winning more majors, the overpowering performance delivered a dramatic validation for his off-season of tedious simulator work mixed with some bucket list traveling. As with so many of the four-time major champion’s recent performances on courses set up to trip a younger version of McIlroy, Sunday’s 66 culminated in a Pebble Beach metamorphosis.
During two prior pro-am appearances on the Monterey Peninsula, McIlroy missed a cut in 2018 playing alongside his dad before not turning up again until last year’s T66. In two major starts at Pebble Beach, McIlroy missed the 2010 U.S. Open cut before improving to a T9 in 2019 when winner Gary Woodland was eight strokes better.
The latter U.S. Open performance highlights how much McIlroy's game has matured when it comes to classic designs set up in the firm, fast conditions that he resisted early in his Hall of Fame career. But much has changed in his mindset and appreciation of the game. So much so that the 35-year-old’s biggest career hurdle going forward may be overcoming his indifference to mediocre courses and soft setups.
“Good venues are a big part of the storyline,” he said after Saturday’s round. “When we go to major championships, especially a U.S. Open and an Open Championship, I always feel like the golf course is a big part of the storyline heading into Thursday. Sometimes on the PGA Tour, that isn't the case because whether you play a run-of-the-mill TPC or whatever it is, it just isn't that interesting.”
But McIlroy also knows what a tall task it is to find venues capable of bringing out the best from players in our era of wild-caught-salmon-infused distances.
Speaking of modern distances caused by years of faulty regulation and continuing to not update rules governing springy driver faces, it would be both lazy and predictable of this newsletter to focus on a few of McIlroy’s most absurd tee shots. I would never obsess over the insanity of his 14th hole lines and tee shots. Like Sunday’s 339-yarder and Friday’s 353-yarder, where, it should not be forgotten, out-of-bounds right protects several homes inspired by Saddam Hussein’s weekend hideaways.
Then there was Friday’s 341-yard tee shot at the 18th in really cold weather, only to be outdone Saturday by a 346-yarder. Presumably, McIlroy’s aggressive lines would not be tried in the U.S. Open. Then again, the 18th green might be drivable by then if the lads keep eating that grass-fed AND grass-finished beef. Please don’t ask me the difference. I prefer the Mediterranean diet.
Ahhh…and remember the good old days when it was agronomy and warm weather that caused modern distances? I believe that little X marks the landing spot for Saturday’s bomb:
For Quadrilateranumbersgeeks, the ShotLink summation of Rory’s Off The Tee effort:
A deeper dive suggests McIlroy'’s grown more comfortable with everything that goes into golf at Pebble Beach. Particularly the poa greens. Even Scrambling, the only “weak” link in his attack last week, saw him still rank 33rd in strokes gained.
All of the numbers, highlighted by 344’2” of putts made:
A question of far greater importance—sorry no-cut PGA Tour signature events—is whether this performance translates to success in the Masters or the 2027 U.S. Open. In recent years, Masters contenders and winners did not telegraph signs of things to come with a strong AT&T Pro-Am showing. But given the way McIlroy dismantled a classic course and overcame any lingering issues he might have had with Pebble Beach, it’s a performance to keep top of mind when April arrives.
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