Sizzling McIlroy captures PGA Pebble Beach title; Kim takes LPGA Tour opener

Rory McIlroy delivered an overwhelming back-nine performance on Sunday for a two-stroke victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am to capture his 27th career US PGA Tour title.

The 35-year-old four-time major winner from Northern Ireland made three birdies and an eagle after the turn to fire a six-under par 66 and finish on 21-under 267 at the famed oceanside course.

There were so many guys that were around the lead. And I guess with it being Pebble Beach, I had to put that to the back of my mind and just go out there and try to shoot a score, which I was able to.”

Ireland’s Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, birdied 18 to shoot 68 and grab second on 269 but missed out on a fourth career PGA title.

Sharing third were past US Open winners Lucas Glover and England’s Justin Rose, who sank a 61-foot eagle putt from off the green at the par-5 18th to shoot 68.

Third-ranked McIlroy took only his second career triumph in California, the other coming at the 2015 WGC Match Play at Harding Park in San Francisco.

McIlroy has ensured an eighth consecutive season with a victory and he hopes to complete a career grand slam at the majors by winning the Masters in April at Augusta National.

Austrian Sepp Straka, who won his third PGA title two weeks ago, led by one when the day began but opened with a bogey and couldn’t match McIlroy’s pace from there, sharing seventh on 272.

McIlroy soars at 14th: McIlroy dropped his approach to three feet and tapped in to birdie the par-5 second then sank a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-3 seventh but took bogey at eight after missing the green with his approach.

McIlroy sank a birdie putt from just inside 18 feet at the 10th to grab the solo lead, then made another from just inside nine feet to birdie the par-3 12th, seizing a two-stroke lead at 18-under.

After reaching the green in two at the par-5 14th, McIlroy had just over 26 feet for eagle and curled in the putt to claim a four-stroke edge.

McIlroy landed his approach inside four feet at 15 and made the birdie putt to reach 21-under, then closed his round with a tap-in par at 18 after admiring the view on his walk up the iconic oceanside 18th hole.

Kim triumphs: South Korea’s Kim A-lim held off top-ranked Nelly Korda over Sunday’s final holes to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the season-opening LPGA Tournament of Champions.

Kim, the 2020 US Women’s Open champion, fired a five-under-par 67 to finish on 20-under 268 after 72 holes at Lake Nona in Orlando.

Kim captured her third career LPGA title and second in three months following her victory at the Lotte Championship last November, holding her nerve as Korda charged.

“Today it was not my focus. I don’t care,” Kim said of Korda’s pressure as she began her 2025 campaign. “Good start but that’s all. I’m going to focus on the next tournament and then focus again on my game.”

Korda, who won seven LPGA titles in 2024, shot 65 to finish two adrift on 270, the 26-year-old US daughter of 1998 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda missing out on her 16th career LPGA title.

“Not bad,” Korda said. “I’m never going to complain with finishing second in a tournament and giving it a run, especially on a Sunday.

“Defintely a couple putts I would like to have back but overall I think I’m very happy with this week and I’m excited headed for next week.”

Korda made birdie at the par-5 15th to grab a share of the lead with Kim, who in the next group tapped in for her own birdie at 15 to reclaim the solo lead at 18-under.

Agence France-Presse