Rory McIlroy survives a volatile start and remains in range at Pebble Beach
Rory McIlroy opened the AT& T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with the kind of scorecard that promised a title defense, only to be reminded how quickly momentum can shift in Monterey County. A brilliant run of scoring was interrupted by a brief but painful stretch; McIlroy recovered enough over 36 holes to sit six shots behind the leaders as the tournament heads into the weekend.
Early brilliance undone by a brief meltdown
McIlroy looked every bit the defending champion through his first nine at Spyglass Hill. He stuffed approaches, holed a bunker shot and rolled in putts to turn at 5-under, then added another birdie early on his inward nine. The start echoed his play from last year at the same venue, when a bogey-free opening and a hole-in-one set up a run to the title.
That momentum evaporated in a 45-minute stretch that McIlroy will rue. A three-putt on the third and another on the fifth resulted in double bogeys that dropped him off the top of the leaderboard and wiped out much of his early advantage. Despite strong ball-striking and smart short-game work otherwise, those two costly holes loomed large.
McIlroy regrouped in the second round. He eagled the second, birdied several holes and closed with a birdie at the last to post a 67 and move to 9-under for the tournament. Still, with Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune carving out a 15-under pace through 36 holes, McIlroy sits six shots adrift and knows Saturday will be pivotal.
Spieth charging, Scheffler fighting an unusual off day
Jordan Spieth reminded why Pebble Beach suits him so well. A bogey-free 6-under 66 at Spyglass Hill put him firmly in the mix after a frustrating early exit last week; he called his previous stumble a fluke and looked steadier on this coastline. When conditions match his aggressive instincts, Spieth is capable of rapid, low scoring, and he showed that again.
By contrast, Scottie Scheffler endured a day he will want to forget. The world No. 1 posted an even-par round on a generally gettable day, a performance that left him tied well down the leaderboard and facing a steep comeback. Several uncharacteristic misses on approach — notably on Nos. 10 through 12 — combined with a poor putting day to cost him more than two strokes on approach alone. Scheffler chipped away late in his round but still finished far from the leaders, leaving him to chase in tougher scoring conditions ahead.
What Saturday must deliver for McIlroy
McIlroy’s week is a study in margins: a near-perfect front nine, two three-putts that derailed momentum, then a resilient rebound to stay within striking distance. He acknowledged feeling like he wasted chances, and he’ll need a sharper Saturday to close the gap before unpredictable Sunday weather arrives.
Strategically, McIlroy must balance aggression with prudence. With firm scoring likely from some of the field and leaders already in the teens under par, the defending champion can’t afford another lapse. The task is familiar territory for a multiple major winner: take advantage of scoring holes, avoid self-inflicted errors, and trust the short game that has underpinned many of his comeback wins.
For rory mcilroy, the Saturday charge will be crucial. A big day could erase the deficit and set up a dramatic Sunday on the Monterey Peninsula; another patchy round would turn this into a long uphill battle. Either way, the coming 36 holes will define whether he can replicate last year’s magic or settle into more searching questions about where his priorities and targets lie next.
