McIlroy stops rot with late eagle at Pebble Beach
Rory McIlroy struggled in cool and blustery back-nine conditions before finishing with an eagle three to keep his victory hopes alive in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The world number three made four birdies in his first seven holes to move up to joint fourth before he bogeyed the 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th to find himself eight shots off the pace after a 70.
His title hopes looked tenuous in the gathering gloom, but he saved the best for last and brushed in a 25-footer for an eagle three at Pebble Beach’s 536-yard 18th to go into the weekend just six shots behind his Ryder Cup teammate Sepp Straka on eight-under-par.
The Austrian made eight birdies in a seven-under 65 at Pebble Beach to lead by three strokes from Russell Henley and Australia’s Cam Davis on 14-under.
Straka won The American Express in his last start but despite being 39 under for his last six rounds, he was reluctant to say he was on a run.
“I don't know, I mean, certainly a six-round run, last six rounds have been pretty nice,” he said. “No, I would not classify that as a run. I think Scottie Scheffler's on a run.
McIlroy was tied for 13th alongside Shane Lowry, who shot a bogey-free 70 at Spyglass Hill, where Seamus Power shot a one-under 71 to share 47th on four-under.
Lowry and McIlroy were just a shot ahead of world number one Scottie Scheffler, who posted a two-under 70 at Pebble Beach, which he capped off with an adventurous closing par-five despite driving left onto the beach.
McIlroy said earlier in the week that what impressed him most about Scheffler, who is making his first start of the season after suffering a hand injury on Christmas Day, was his ability to limit his mistakes.
The Texan has made just two bogeys so far, but ominously for his rivals, he doesn’t feel even close to his best.
“Well, I talked to him a little bit at the beginning of this week,” Scheffler said of McIlroy. “I think when it comes of like people say, oh, well, he just doesn't make a lot of mistakes, I think that's a product of being in control of your golf ball.
“I think if you look at my strokes gained ball-striking numbers, they're probably not near what they would normally be.
“And I think that's just a little bit of competitive rust, kind of getting my feet back under me and playing tournament golf.
“To only have two bogeys, one of them being with a semi-shank, it's pretty good.
“My first hole of the tournament and then just a little rust, brain fart type thing. Other than that, I did a good job keeping my focus.”
