“Start how you mean to go on,” McIlroy said he told his caddie during his post-round interview with CBS’ Amanda Ballionis after finishing at 21-under-par. “I’m just as determined this year as I have been in any of the years that I have been out here on the PGA Tour, and to get this win this early, it means a great deal.”
McIlroy arrived at one of golf’s cathedrals feeling “sharper” than he normally does for the California swing. The 35-year-old Norther Irishman locked himself in a simulator for three weeks during the fall to fix some issues he diagnosed in his backswing. He played more recreational golf than usual during December and posted a T4 finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic a few weeks ago.
For four days along the coast of Carmel, McIlroy pummeled drives and hit crisp wedges. He thrust himself into contention with a bogey-free 65 in harsh conditions on Saturday and took control of the final round with birdies at 10 and 12 before putting his stamp on the tournament with an eagle at the par-5 14th.
McIlroy carried his drive 339 yards and then hit a 7 iron to 27 feet before holing the putt.
“I think he’s the most impressive player I’ve ever played with,” Sepp Straka, who held the 54-hold lead, said after Sunday’s round. “He just strikes it unbelievably well, hits it far but also so straight for how far he hits it. That 14th hole kind of sums it up, just a bomb drive down there. We both hit seven there; his was a 7-iron, and mine was a 7-wood. Yeah, just towering 7-iron right in the middle of the green and a putt, so it’s really impressive.”
“When he’s good, he’s great and when he’s not great, he’s good,” Lucas Glover said after the round. “There’s a reason he’s got 20-something wins and a bunch of majors and the game he has. Much he’s a talent, one of the best in the world, and probably one of the best to ever play.”
McIlroy’s power always dazzles. Few things can stop him on a golf course when he gets hot, and the bounce in his step arrives.
That is except himself.
McIlroy’s game was pristine this week along the idyllic shores of Pebble Beach. He had just about everything working. He gained 0.68 strokes off the tee, 1.69 on the greens, and 2.32 on approach, per Data Golf.
But it was something else that should make McIlroy feel like he will indeed continue how he started.
The four-time major champion has often been his own worst enemy on the course, especially when things aren’t going perfectly with his swings. McIlroy’s course management and decision-making often face scrutiny, especially at major championships.
But McIlroy entered the season with a different mindset, hoping to emulate the man everyone is now chasing — Scottie Scheffler.
“I didn’t make any mistakes,” McIlroy said after shooting a bogey-free 65 on Saturday. “One of the things I want to do this year is try to limit my mistakes and play bogey-free. Three of my last four rounds have been that way: the last round in Dubai, the first round here, and now this round. Just really try to limit the mistakes and play smart golf and be a little more like Scottie Scheffler.”
Per golf stats guru Justin Ray, Scheffler has had 102 rounds since the beginning of 2022 with one or fewer bogeys.
That discipline, risk-aversion, and ability to steady himself when things start to slip has allowed him to win nine times on the PGA Tour in the past two seasons, including seven last year.
McIlroy took note of what makes Scheffler so consistent and plans to follow suit in 2024.
“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,” McIlroy said Sunday when talking about the importance of strategy and being conservative in playing bogey-free golf. “And I’ve alluded to it this week, but honestly, just trying to take a little bit of a leaf out of his book.
“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 at what is he doing and what has — what has made him or helped him separate himself from the rest of the fields. To me, those are the two big things that he does better than anyone else. It takes a certain mindset to do that, too. 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.”
McIlroy has been one of the best golfers on the planet for 15 years. He has won everywhere. On Sunday, he became just the third golfer in the last 30 years to win 27 PGA Tour events and four or more majors. The other two are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
McIlroy’s game has never been the question. When everything is clicking, he has a gear that few, if any, have.
However, his course management and decision-making have plagued him during his 10-year major drought. There have been uncharacteristic mistakes and self-inflicted wounds.
It’s clear McIlroy has been studying Scheffler and what allows him to give himself so many opportunities to win. Scheffler rarely takes himself out of the fight with a poor decision. He is relentless tee-to-green, giving himself scoring chance after scoring chance with smart, controlled shots.
If McIlroy can continually tap into that, as he did this week at Pebble Beach, his golfing superpowers will become even more difficult for his peers to overcome, and a big year could be on the horizon.
Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Before joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. A native Oregonian and UO alum, Josh spends his free time hiking with his wife and dog, thinking of how the Ducks will break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at chipping. A true romantic for golf, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s major drought will end (updated: he did it). Josh Schrock can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.
