PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy ‘shut’ to his finest and happy with sharpness after AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am victory | Golf Information

Rory McIlroy believes he’s ‘fairly shut’ to his finest after making a profitable begin to the PGA Tour season with a formidable two-shot victory on the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am.

The world No 3 made an eagle and three birdies in a six-hole stretch on his solution to a final-round 66 on the PGA Tour’s Signature Occasion, seeing him finish the week on 21 beneath and two pictures away from Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry.

McIlroy’s twenty seventh PGA Tour victory is his second win in three worldwide begins and sixth top-four end in his final seven appearances, with the Northern Irishman happy with the state of his recreation so early within the yr.

When requested how shut he felt to being in peak kind, McIlroy informed Sky Sports activities: “Yeah I’m close, I’m pretty close. I feel like I controlled my ball flight well in the crosswinds this week I drove the ball really well.

“I feel I am going to at all times nitpick and there is at all times issues about my recreation that I need to attempt to get higher, as a result of that is simply who I’m. I am attempting to get essentially the most out of myself on a regular basis, however I even have to simply accept on the identical time the place my recreation’s at proper now.

“It is in a really good shape and probably as sharp as it’s ever been at the end of January, start of February, heading into the season. So really, really happy with where everything is.”

McIlroy went into the ultimate spherical a shot behind Sepp Straka and was in a share of the lead till his back-nine birdie cost, with a surprising eagle on the par-five 14th pulling him additional away from a congested leaderboard.

“I’ve talked a lot about this year trying to limit the mistakes and trying to keep the big numbers and the destructive swings off the scorecard,” McIlroy added. “For the most part this week, I did that. The game can start to become pretty simple and feel pretty easy when you’re not making bogeys.

“I do know I’ll hit sufficient good golf pictures to provide myself loads of birdie alternatives, it is only a matter of, getting that odd up and right down to preserve the spherical and the momentum of the spherical going. I did that basically effectively this week.

“I think my short game was really good this week. I looked at my short game last year, it was very, it was very volatile, very up and down. I’d have some good weeks, but then I’d have some bad weeks. Just trying to just get a little bit more consistency in there.

“These Poa annua greens at this time of the year can be a little bit tricky and I didn’t really miss many short putts this week. That was a key to building a good score and ultimately winning this week.”

Lowry: McIlroy ‘took management’ of match

McIlroy was 4 pictures forward with three holes to play however noticed his profitable margin halved by Lowry’s quick end, with 5 birdies over the eight holes seeing the Irishman safe solo second forward of Lucas Glover and Justin Rose.

“He [McIlroy] is just so in control,” mentioned Lowry, who performed alongside McIlroy and Straka in the course of the last spherical. “He drives the ball incredibly well, he always does. He was in control of his ball today and he putted nicely. It all came together.

“He simply performed nice at the moment, that is what he did. He took management of the match. After I was making birdies, he was throwing birdies again. Then he made eagle on 14 and that was just about it.”

Straka added: “He turned it on for the back nine. I asked him how many that was for him [wins] and 27 is pretty unbelievable. I think he’s the most impressive player I’ve ever played with.

“He simply strikes it unbelievably effectively, hits it far but in addition so straight for the way far he hits it. That 14th gap sums it up, only a bomb drive down there. We each hit seven there, however his was seven-iron and mine was a seven-wood. It is actually spectacular.”

Majors to return for ‘unstoppable’ McIlroy?

McIlroy’s main drought extends into an eleventh yr, which might equal the largest hole between main victories in males’s golf, though an early-season victory raises the prospect of him claiming an elusive fifth main title in 2025.

Talking throughout commentary of the ultimate spherical at Pebble Seaside, Dame Laura Davies informed Sky Sports activities: “I personally assume he [McIlroy] will win The Masters this yr.

“I think he played so well at the end of last year, winning that tournament [DP World Tour Championship] the way he did. His wedge game’s getting better, he’s full of confidence.

“That is simply one more confidence increase, if he wanted any extra. I do not assume anybody can put any stress on him that he isn’t placed on himself. He’ll be in the identical place he has been within the final ten years, however I feel his recreation is in a very good place now.”

She later added: “He played strategic golf. He played clever golf. He was hitting a lot of knockdown shots, feel shots. It just showed he has got every shot in the game. If he chooses to use that throughout the whole year, he’d almost be unstoppable.

“Pretty much as good as Scottie Scheffler is, I nonetheless assume – on their day and in the event that they each play their finest – Rory’s just a bit bit higher. I feel: may he push Scheffler proper to the restrict this yr?”

Watch Rory McIlroy feature on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour throughout 2025 live on Sky Sports. McIlroy is next in action at the Genesis Invitational, live from February 13-16 on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract on NOW.