Winter 2025

110 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 defends his AT&T title February 12-15? “Here, Augusta, St. Andrews, obviously,” McIlroy said in February. “Maybe a few more you could add in there. And I had a big fat zero on all of those going in here. So, to knock one off of Pebble is very cool.” That knockoff was a result of shooting 66-65- 70-66—267 or 21-under par, heading the elite field pursuing $20 million in prize money. McIlroy sewed up the victory on the 14th hole, a par-5 with a treacherous green. He ripped a fade driver over the corner, followed up with a 7-iron to the green and sank an eagle putt. He didn’t look back, playing conservatively on the last four holes to beat Lowry by two and Justin Rose and Lucas Glover by three. It was McIlroy’s 27th PGATour win, but miss- ing in the field was the world’s top player, Scottie Scheffler, who sat out events in January and February as he recovered from cuts on his hand from a wineglass he broke while making ravioli dough. Some “punn-dits” on the tour joked, “Schef, get a chef.” McIlroy followed Pebble Beach with a win at the Players, but he still needed a win at Augusta to complete the career Grand Slam. And, a win there would remove the haunting memory of his first Masters 16 years before in 2009, when 19-year-old McIlroy was seeking his first major victory. Heading into the final round, he had a four-stroke lead, but his drive on the 10th hole duck hooked so far left that his ball might have rattled off the door of Butler Cabin where the winner puts on the coveted winner’s green jack- et. McIlroy carded a triple bogey on 10, and a double-bogey five on the 12th. He ended up Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry of Team Europe celebrate after winning the Ryder Cup outright, beating the United States 15-13 on day three of the 2025 Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York. Photo: XMike Egerton PA Images/Alamy Live News It was McIlroy’s first appearance on the PGA Tour in 2025, his first win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a momentous start to a much-heralded and bumpy year as he navigated obstacles on and off the course.