PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Pebble Beach looked as spectacular as ever. So did Rory McIlroy.
The combination of one of golf's biggest stars and America's most scenic coastal golf course was the just the spark the PGA Tour needed, and both lived up to their reputations Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
McIlroy was in complete control of his shots, leading to two key birdies when he made the turn against a pack of contenders. And then he delivered a haymaker, blasting his drive over a tree down the 14th fairway, leaving him only a 7-iron to the 571-yard hole to set up eagle.
“We both hit 7 there,” Sepp Straka said. “His was 7-iron, mine was 7-wood.”
All that was left was a soothing stroll down the 18th fairway, enough sunshine to turn the surf turquoise, enough of a cushion to have no stress. McIlroy finished with a par for a 6-under 66 and a two-shot victory over Irish pal Shane Lowry.
“There's some venues in our game that just mean a little bit more than others and that’s probably to do with the history and the people that have won on those courses and what those people have meant to the game of golf,” McIlroy said.
“I've had a few close calls at St. Andrews. Augusta National being another one,” he said. “So to be able to get a win on one of those iconic venues is awesome.”
On a day when six players had at least a share of the lead, McIlroy took the top spot for good with a 6-iron out of the bunker to 18 feet for birdie on 10th hole into a stiff breeze along the Pacific. He hit a towering 7-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th to stretch his lead to two.
And then the 14th was effectively the clincher, leaving everyone else scrambling for second. McIlroy hit 5-iron off the tee with a three-shot lead and was happy to get his hands on the crystal trophy, the 27th of his PGA Tour career.
Among players still actively playing, only Tiger Woods (82) and Phil Mickelson (45) have won more. Mickelson also was 35 when he got his 27th tour title.
Lowry fell out of a share for the lead when he sent his second shot over a cliff to the right of the par-5 sixth. But he shot 31 on the back nine, including a birdie on the final hole for a 68 that gave him second place alone.
Lucas Glover (67) and Justin Rose (68) were another shot behind. Straka, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, had a 72 and tied for seventh.
“I always say I believe when players like Rory McIlroy turns up and they have their ‘A’ game, they’re pretty impossible to beat,” Lowry said.
Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player whose season was delayed by minor hand surgery from punctured glass while making ravioli, closed with a 67 and tied for ninth.
McIlroy was inspired by Scheffler's tendency to avoid mistakes, he stole a page from that book this week at Pebble by tempering his aggressiveness nature. He made only one bogey on the weekend at Pebble Beach, including the wet, cold wind of Saturday.
McIlroy has talked about this being an important year for him, though his focus was more on April through September — an 11th chance to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters, a return home to Northern Ireland for the British Open, a road Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
This wasn't a bad start.
“It's a really cool way to start the season,” McIlroy said. Winning makes everything sweeter, of course, but this week also featured a hole-in-one at Spyglass Hill in the opening round and his first time venturing over to play Cypress Point.
And now he heads back to Florida with another trophy, and loads of momentum for what he hopes will be a big year.
The sixth hole began to separate the pack a little. In consecutive groups, Rose went over the cliff with his tee shot and Tom Kim hit down the hill toward the ocean with his second shot. Lowry followed him in the final group, leading to bogey.
But really, McIlroy looked as though he was the player to beat from the second hole, when he hit a tough pitch from 50 yards away over a bunker to a back pin with enough height and spin to set up a 2-foot birdie putt.
But it was after his lone bogey on the tough eighth hole where he pulled away. Everyone else was left in a hopeless chase.
“When he's good, he's great. And when he's not great, he's good,” Glover said. “There's a reason he's got 20-something wins and a bunch of majors and the game he has. Impressive round out there today under the pressure and under the conditions.”
McIlroy won his second signature event — he won at Quail Hollow last year — to earn $3.6 million. He finished at 21-under 267, one shot to par away from the tournament record.
Lowry at least tried to make him sweat, staying within range until missing a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that would have narrowed the gap to two. His final birdie, however, gave him a tidy consolation of $2.16 million for second place.
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