McIlroy takes step toward winning at Big Three of golf's best datelines

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The knock on Rory McIlroy used to be that he won his majors on soft courses. Even on Sunday, when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy said an argument could be made that he hasn't won on courses of the highest repute.

That's what made this victory a little more special.

“There's a few what I could call cathedrals of golf here — Augusta, St. Andrews obviously, maybe a few more you could add in there,” he said. “I had a big, fat zero on all of those going in here. To knock one off at Pebble is very cool. I'm a big historian of the game, and I remember all the championships that have been played here. And to add my name to that list is pretty cool.”

Art Spander, the longtime Bay Area columnist, years ago referred to Pebble Beach, Augusta and St. Andrews as the three best datelines in golf. Imagine having trophies from all three.

It's a small list.

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have the ultimate trifecta as the only players to have won the Masters at Augusta National, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews.

Sam Snead won majors at Augusta National and St. Andrews, along with winning the Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble. Add to the list Mark O'Meara and Phil Mickelson. They won the Masters, along with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Dunhill Cup at St. Andrews.

McIlroy has only one, but he'll take it, along with a few close calls.

He lost a four-shot lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters (he was runner-up in 2022 to Scottie Scheffler but never had a chance to win) and he lost the share of the 54-hole lead at St. Andrews in 2022, finishing third behind Cameron Smith. He also has had three runner-up finishes in the Dunhill Links Championship, where two rounds are held at St. Andrews.

Hoffman's Letter

Charley Hoffman is the latest player to write a letter to his colleagues asking them to do their part to improve the PGA Tour. His focus was on pace of play, with no additional insight. Justin Thomas wrote more about players doing more with the broadcast.

Most peculiar about Hoffman's letter was the veiled shot at Rory McIlroy in a letter — obtained by Golf.com — sent out to the membership Sunday as McIlroy was playing the final hole of a compelling victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

“If we truly care about strengthening our tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can,” Hoffman's letter said. “Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that’s going to continue regardless of field size.”

McIlroy said at the start of the year in Dubai that he plans to play fewer events this year — he played 27 last year while continuing to support his home circuit, the European tour. McIlroy is a six-time winner of the Race to Dubai and the only player to win the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup in the same season.

He also is a co-founder, along with Tiger Woods and former Golf Channel executive Mike McCarley, of the indoor TGL.

As for “other non-PGA Tour event,” there was that made-for-TV match McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler played against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in December, seen as chance to respond to fans wanting to see LIV and PGA Tour players together.

It was an odd comment, particularly considering McIlroy has been praised for standing by his home circuit even as the gap with the lucrative PGA Tour gets larger. He played eight European tour events last year, not including the majors.

Zinger and Tiger

Paul Azinger believes the anticipation will be higher than ever a year from now with Tiger Woods. At stake is his age — Woods turns 50 in December — and whether he will be compete in the PGA Tour Champions.

Azinger, now the analyst on the 50-and-older circuit, said his effect could be enormous.

“You’ve got all those giant names on this tour and you bring Tiger in, I think the global media shows up immediately. I’m talking about global media,” Azinger said last week on a conference call to promote the Chubb Classic in Florida next week.

“Then all of a sudden the focus is on this tour," he said. “A lot of guys are going to be in shape and ready and try to beat Tiger if they can.”

One of them already did, with some help. Bernhard Langer and his adult son, Jason, beat Woods and 15-year-old Charlie in a playoff.

Azinger took it one more step by suggesting Woods “might even feel an obligation” to play the PGA Tour Champions.

“The tour has given Tiger a lot of money the last few years with that Player Impact Program,” Azinger said, referring to the needle-moving bonus program that provided Woods $45 million despite him not playing much because of injuries.

“I’m sure he’s going to give back, and it’s going to be to all the benefit of these guys out here that are over 50,” Azinger said.

Then again, Woods is seen as the driving force between the spike in PGA Tour prize money over the years.

CBS and the Pebble boost

The lagging TV ratings on the PGA Tour received a predictable boost last week, when Rory McIlroy won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The tournament falls the weekend between the NFL conference championship games and the Super Bowl. And it's Pebble Beach.

CBS reports the final round averaged 3.33 million viewers, making it the most-watched final round at Pebble Beach since Daniel Berger won in 2021 and the most-watched PGA Tour final round since Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship last year.

Coverage peaked at nearly 4 million viewers.

Canter calling

Laurie Canter of England won the Bahrain Championship last week on the European tour and moved up to No. 51 in the world ranking. This came two weeks after he finished third in the Dubai Desert Classic.

He's worth watching over the next few months as the Masters takes the top 50 a full week before the first major of the year.

What's interesting about Canter is that LIV Golf didn't seem all that interested. Canter was part of the Saudi-funded league when it began in 2022, and he played a full season in 2023. He earned just over $5.1 million.

But he was not picked up for 2024 — he played only in Las Vegas a year ago, meaning his ban from any PGA Tour events would end after this week.

“I'm going to do everything I can to get myself into that top 50 and get the opportunities that brings. It's great to have a target like that,” Canter said. “There's a lot to play for. The PGA Tour is the carrot at the end of the year.”

Canter came close last year to getting one of the 10 cards for European tour members, after winning in Germany at the European Open.

Divots

The PGA Tour's social media team followed Rory McIlroy after his win at Pebble Beach, including a trophy presentation with Jim Nantz of CBS. Nantz thanked McIlroy, noting the network had time to fill before going off the air. “So we don’t have a slow play problem?" McIlroy replied with a laugh. ... Danny List, who learned to play in his hometown in Ghana, is the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption to play in the Genesis Invitational. The tournament has moved this year to Torrey Pines.

Stat of the week

Rory McIlroy averaged 336.7 yards on the two measured drives when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Dustin Johnson averaged 303.3 yards when he won at Pebble in 2010.

Final word

“I’ve spent so much energy worrying about the tour and where everything is going, it’s draining. I’m at the point where I want to focus on me.” — Rory McIlroy.

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