Rory McIlroy will feel like he deserved a better result at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend.
The Northern Irishman hit more than enough quality shots to defend his title on the West Coast.
Unfortunately, he let himself down with a few errant tee shots, giving him too much work to do.
McIlroy ultimately finished just outside the top 10 with a 17-under-par final score.
The 36-year-old has now explained what he would love to do again after missing out on victory at Pebble Beach.
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Rory McIlroy rues big mistakes at Pebble Beach Pro-Am
McIlroy admitted after his final round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am that he wished he could have a few tee shots back.
He drove the ball out of bounds on the 4th and 18th holes on Saturday, leading to a double and a triple bogey, respectively.
These errors were the difference between a good finish and contending for the trophy on the back nine on Sunday.
“A little bit of everything,” McIlroy reflected. “Probably rust. Some (inaudible) decision-making early in the year. Yeah, a little bit of both.
“Yeah, that’s all I felt like I needed to tidy up because the good stuff in there is really, really good. Struck my irons well, drove it well for the most part. There were a couple of destructive tee shots yesterday, but everything feels in pretty good shape.
“I wish I could have those four holes back this week. I played 68 really good ones, and if you turn those three doubles into bogeys and that triple into a bogey, that’s five shots, and all of a sudden you’re looking at having a three-shot lead.
“But all in all, some really good stuff this week. Pretty encouraged going into next week for sure.”
The good news for McIlroy is that he generally played really well and can take confidence into the Genesis Invitational next week.
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Rory McIlroy sees improvement from early-season form
McIlroy started his 2026 season with a T3 finish at the Dubai Invitational, followed by a disappointing performance at the Dubai Desert Classic.
He ended the tournament in 33rd place, 12 shots behind Patrick Reed, despite being the favorite to win.
McIlroy explained that he improved in several areas at Pebble Beach compared to Dubai three weeks ago.
“I think iron play, short game, I think those two areas,” he said. “Maybe the driver as well, even though, as I said, I hit a couple of destructive tee shots.
“I got one going on the wind on 18 yesterday and then the one on 4, but for the most part, I drove the ball better, which is good to see as well.”
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