Rory McIlroy’s physical game took apart Pebble Beach this past weekend. Hitting prodigious bombs off the tee on the par-5 14th, sawing off wedge shots into the tiniest of greens and holing putts from distance with some consistency, McIlroy made mincemeat of the Monterey Peninsula gem.
The reward was his 27th PGA Tour victory and moving to 22nd on the all-time wins list. He continues to wave goodbye to the 40 worldwide win threshold as a professional and set his sights on 50 with his latest victory extending a season-win streak dating back to 2017 when he was last held winless due to rib and back injuries.
While McIlroy’s game was on full display, what wasn’t as apparent, at least to the naked eye, was McIlroy’s renewed approach where it matters most for a man with every shot at his disposal — the course management, the ability to take his foot off the throttle when necessary, the mature strategy the 35-year-old employed to dismantle a cathedral of golf.
“I think it’s a combination of everything. I think for me it’s always the mental side of it. That probably is the biggest barrier between me being good and being great,” McIlroy said. “You know, for the most part over the course of my career I’ve had the physical attributes and hit the ball long and been able to do things that maybe some other guys aren’t able to do, but it’s sometimes been my mind or my thought processes held me back a little bit. Again… I think I’m much better equipped now to handle whatever is thrown my way.”
McIlroy not only credits his past — like the most recent U.S. Open where he admitted his impulses got the better of him — but also world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for the fresh outlook. Described by some as “boring,” Scheffler’s game has led to a Hall of Fame worthy three-year stretch.
The reward for Scheffler has been three Player of the Year honors, two Masters, two Players Championships, a FedEx Cup crown, an Olympic gold medal and a slew of other accolades. Taking a page out of Scheffler’s book, McIlroy hopes for something similar.
“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 [short game and strategy] that he does better than anyone else.
“It takes a certain mindset to do that, too. He’s not … you know, there’s impulses that I have on the golf course that it looks like Scottie doesn’t have and I have to … 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. “
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McIlroy’s discipline was tested at various stages of his final round at Pebble Beach. He weighed the decision of hitting driver on the short par-4 4th and on the uphill par-4 11th but ultimately chose not to. On No. 15, he had the big stick in hand but again decided to gear back given the pin location on the front of the green.
The result on those three holes were two birdies and a par — two strokes which helped build his two-stroke margin of victory. Two strokes which ultimately allowed McIlroy to take his foot off the gas on the par-5 18th, hit a 5 iron off the tee and cruise down one of the most scenic walks in golf with the trophy already in hand.
“I think if I didn’t have the same impulses, people maybe wouldn’t like to watch me play as much, if that makes sense,” McIlroy said. “I do feel that connection to the crowd of, you know, hitting certain shots or doing certain things that people get — I get enjoyment out of them, too, but people watching get enjoyment out of it also.
“But I also understand that that maybe isn’t the best way to consistently win golf tournaments. At this point in my career that’s what I want to do, I want to consistently win golf tournaments. Ten years ago with a three-shot lead on the 18th hole here, would I hit 5-iron off the tee? Probably not. Just understanding the scenario and what I needed to do, it was a different case today.”
Whether McIlroy can sustain this discipline across the next eight months, four major championships and to some extent the rest of his career will be key to unlocking his ultimate goals. Held at golf courses designed to test not only one’s physical approach but more vigorously the mental, the major championships have fallen just out of McIlroy’s reach.
One stroke shy at the 2023 U.S. Open and again at the 2024 U.S. Open, McIlroy is at the point in his career where two strokes are not only the difference in winning at Pebble Beach but in winning on golf’s grandest stage and turning that four next to his name into five or six.
“I’ve always felt like I’ll play for as long as I want to play and as hard as I want to play and whatever the numbers add up to, they’ll add up to,” McIlroy said. “But to me, there’s specific things and specific tournaments that I would love to have on my CV when it’s all said and done.”
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