Rory McIlroy shoots dismal 74 but still wins Pro-Am at Pebble Beach
Rory McIlroy and his playing partner Jeff Rhodes win the 36-hole Pro-Am tournament at Pebble Beach.
Rory McIlroy took consolation from a dismal second-round 74 at Pebble Beach by taking the 36-hole Pro-Am title with his playing partner Jeff Rhodes.
McIlroy carded a lacklustre 74 on his own ball in the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to leave him well down the field in T64 on 1-over par and 12 strokes behind 36-hole leaders Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg and Thomas Detry.
Scheffler was 10 strokes better off than McIlroy on day two as the World No.1 fired a flawless 64 to vault to top of the board.
McIlroy missed one putt inside of three feet on the par-3 12th.
He also sent a ball OB on the 4th.
At one stage in the first round, McIlroy was two strokes clear on 6-under par.
But then things went badly wrong for the Northern Irishman as he lost five strokes in the space of three holes, including a triple-bogey eight on the par-5 7th as a result of a misunderstanding the rules.
#WATCH: Rules Official Mark Dusbabek explains why Rory McIlroy was assessed a two stroke penalty for an illegal drop on #7. Thoughts on this? @TrackingRory
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) February 1, 2024
McIlroy wins Pro-Am at Pebble Beach
But despite a lethargic 2-over 74 from McIlroy on day two at famed Pebble Beach, he did at least pick up some some silverware largely as a result of his 9-handicap playing partner Rhodes who was in terrific form.
McIlroy and Rhodes finished on 17-under par in the two-round Pro-Am tournament following rounds of 63 and 64.
That was enough for a narrow one-stroke victory over teams led by Matt Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon.
Rhodes, a National California Golf Association (NCGA) member, helped his team by 16 shots over the two rounds.
Previously the Pro-Am event has been played over all four tournament rounds on the PGA Tour and across three different courses.
But as a result of the AT&T Pebble Beach now having Signature status on the PGA Tour, there were only 80 amateurs in the field and they all competed with their professionals over just two rounds at Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach.
The professionals will now compete on their own for the remainder of the tournament.
Who is Jeff Rhodes?
Rory McIlroy's 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am partner was Jeff Rhodes, who is the co-managing partner of TPG Capital.
TPG Capital is joined by Symphony Ventures, the investment fund of McIlroy, who in 2021 agreed to invest in the company in partnership with TPG.
