Rory McIlroy secured his first PGA Tour title of 2025 with a remarkable victory at the ATandT Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. The 35-year-old delivered a spectacular final round of 66 on Sunday, finishing at -21 under for the tournament and outperforming notable competitors such as Lucas Glover, Tom Kim, Cam Davis, Sepp Straka, and Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy’s close friend Shane Lowry came in second at -19. This triumph marks McIlroy’s 27th PGA Tour win, solidifying his position among the exclusive group of only 20 men with more tour victories.
The four-time major champion has been on a roll since his DP World Tour Championship win last November. With a lighter schedule this year, McIlroy aims to end his 11-year major championship drought.
“So the minimums, I still have to play my 15 events on this tour, so I’ll make sure I fulfil my minimum here,” he stated earlier in the week. “I played 27 events last year. I think to fulfil both minimums, I need to play around 22, so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll play around 22, so that’s five weeks. That’s an extra 35 days at home, and that’s something that I want to do.”
McIlroy, who clinched a key victory at one of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious tournaments, is showcasing his A-game as the current world No. 3.
Despite fierce competition from Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele last year, McIlroy has proven he is a force to be reckoned with.
In an epic year, Scheffler took home nine tournament wins including coveted titles such as the Players Championship, Masters, and Olympics, while Schauffele bagged his first major triumphs at the PGA Championship and Open Championship.
In stark contrast, McIlroy narrowly missed out on the US Open title last year, succumbing in the final moments to LIV Golf phenomenon Bryson DeChambeau. Yet, with the Masters on the horizon this April, McIlroy is gunning for a much-anticipated fifth major win.
Quizzed by CBS reporter Amanda Balionis on Saturday about the significance of winning at Pebble Beach, McIlroy confessed: “Historically, the West Coast hasn’t been that good for me. I haven’t played that well over here – I had a top-10 (finish) in the U.S. Open at Pebble but haven’t played great around this golf course.
“I don’t even know if I’ve ever won in California, so tomorrow would be big for a lot of reasons… It’s exciting to try to get my first win of the season.”
This article originally appeared on Mirror US
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