Rory McIlroy produced a stunning back-nine scoring burst to make a winning start to his PGA Tour season with an impressive two-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
McIlroy went into the final round a shot behind Ryder Cup team-mate Sepp Straka and was tied for the lead at the turn, only to pull clear of a congested leaderboard with a stunning start to the back nine.
The Northern Irishman played a six-hole stretch in five under – including a brilliant eagle at the par-five 14th – to open a four-stroke advantage, then closed out a six-under 66 to finish on 21 under and claim a 27th PGA Tour victory.
Rory McIlroy eagled the par-five 14th to extend his advantage during the final round at Pebble Beach
McIlroy’s winning margin was reduced by Shane Lowry’s fast finish, with five birdies in the last eight holes helping him to solo second, while Justin Rose’s stunning final-hole eagle lifted him to tied-third alongside Lucas Glover.
Tom Kim – who held a share of the lead for a large chunk of the final day – dropped back into tied-seventh with Straka, with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler marking his return from injury by claiming a share of ninth place.
More to follow…
What’s next?
The PGA Tour moves to Arizona for the WM Phoenix Open, where world No 1 Scottie Scheffler – a two-time winner of the event – headlines and Nick Taylor returns as defending champion after last year’s play-off victory.
Early coverage begins on Thursday from 2.15pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 9pm. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
