Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler were among the star names taking on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with the former coming out on top.
McIlroy is grateful for the success, having seen off competition from the likes of Shane Lowry and Justin Rose at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Jordan Spieth also returned to the PGA Tour at the tournament, with the American finishing T69 as his compatriot Scheffler finished T9.
Like Spieth, Scheffler was making his return to the PGA Tour from injury, while like the duo McIlroy was playing his first such event of the season.
And it was the Northern Irishman who emerged victorious, carding rounds of 66, 70, 65 and 66 to finish on 21-under.
Rory McIlroy says Scottie Scheffler has ‘certain mindset’ to be the best
But it is Scheffler who remains top of the world golf rankings, with world number three McIlroy asked in his winning press conference how much has he reflected on the American and what impact it has on his game.
“I think when one of your peers has the year like he had last year, and honestly the year like he had in ’23 as well, you start to take notice of what is he doing and what has made him or helped him separate himself from the rest of the fields,” said McIlroy.
“To me, those are the two big things that he does better than anyone else. It takes a certain mindset to do that, too.
“He’s not… you know, there’s impulses that I have on the golf course that it looks like Scottie doesn’t have and I have to rein those in and I have to try to be a little more disciplined about it and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion Rory McIlroy loves watching ‘disciplined’ Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler is, of course, only getting back into the swing of things on the PGA Tour, having needed surgery on his hand following a freak glass accident over the festive period.
Despite only returning, the world number one impressed with rounds of 67, 70, 69 and 67 to finish on 15-under, having won seven PGA Tour titles in 2024 and twice the year before.
Champion McIlroy meanwhile certainly achieved his desire for fewer bogey-free rounds, having also been asked how such a feat is achievable amid issues such as swing changes and course management.
“I think there’s two parts to it,” he said. “I think it’s strategy and picking more conservative targets at times, and maybe picking more conservative clubs off tees.
“Then I think the big thing is obviously short game as well. I’ve alluded to it this week a little bit. My short game last year was a little up and down. I would have a good week, then I’d have a bad week. There wasn’t a ton of consistency in it.
“The up-and-down on one for example today, it’s a big up-and-down just to get things going. The up-and-down on four, same sort of thing. So yeah, it’s two parts.
“It’s the strategy, and I think every time that… I’m a big admirer of Scottie’s for a lot of different reasons, but every time I play with him and I watch how he plays and how disciplined he is, it’s a really cool thing to watch. And I’ve alluded to it this week, but honestly, just trying to take a little bit of a leaf out of his book.”
Rory McIlroy wants to be the ‘best player in the world again’ after 27th PGA Tour win
The Northern Irishman sits behind only Scheffler and Xander Schauffele in the world rankings, with the latter having missed out on Pebble Beach this week through injury.
Schauffele is another who is aiming to reach the heights of his fellow American, although he did steal the headlines in the 2024 major season.
McIlroy missed out once more as Schauffele won the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, with Scheffler winning the Masters.
READ MORE: What Tiger Woods did at the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that was simply ‘not to be believed’
Asked how motivating it is to try and replace Scheffler at the summit, McIlroy replied: “You know, it’s not about that.
“If it so happens that I get close to that, then that would be cool, but this is just really about trying to get the best out of myself. That’s really it.
“I know if I can play to my capabilities and do what I did out there today a little bit more, the world rankings or the wins or whatever will really take care of themselves.
“Scottie is and has been the best player in our game for the last couple years. I feel like I’ve been close but just not quite there.
“But that’s motivating, that’s motivating to try to get the best out of myself and yeah, try to become the best player in the world again.”
The four-time major champion, who is a former world number one, now has 27 PGA Tour wins to his name.
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