Pebble Beach, California – On Thursday, both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry made their mark in spectacular fashion, each scoring a hole-in-one on different courses during a thrilling day of golf. Russell Henley took the lead with a remarkable 8-under 64 after finishing strong with birdies on his final two holes. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler returned to competitive play after a month away due to an unusual injury from making ravioli, registering a solid round with a 67.
Despite starting at Spyglass Hill with a bogey, Scheffler managed to recover impressively, not dropping another shot for the remainder of his round. He noted, “I like what I saw today. I hit a few errant shots out there, but overall kept the course in front of me for the most part, so I was able to make a decent amount of birdies.” Scheffler’s brief hiatus from the tour did not hinder his performance, as he kept pace with the competition with ease.
Jordan Spieth, a three-time major winner returning from wrist surgery, began the day on a positive note but saw his birdies dwindle following a good start on the back nine at Spyglass Hill, ultimately finishing with a 70. The weather for the day was pleasantly calm, ideal for scoring; Pebble Beach’s early holes are often seen as opportunities for low scores when wind conditions are favorable. However, the area is notorious for challenging winds that can turn a competition on its head.
The crowd at the event, a bit subdued due to the absence of 76 players and amateurs who were traditionally part of the AT&T tournament, found their energy renewed when Scheffler attempted an eagle putt on the par-5 14th hole. Yet, it was McIlroy, playing in front of him, who stole the show with an impressive ace using a sand wedge from 119 yards. McIlroy described the moment, saying, “You’re looking at it and you’re watching where it might land on the green and the thing just disappears.”
McIlroy finished with a 66, featuring a strong performance on the back nine, while Lowry matched the same score after hitting an extraordinary 54-degree wedge shot that rolled into the cup on the iconic Pebble Beach par 3. Lowry expressed his joy at his ace, mentioning, “Big bounce, it was perfect. It just spun and spun right into the hole. It was pretty cool.” Golf commentator Jim Nantz humorously remarked on the significance of Lowry’s hole-in-one at such a renowned hole.
Lowry, who also has previous hole-in-ones at prestigious locations like Augusta National and the TPC Sawgrass, is looking forward to his next round on Friday at Spyglass Hill. The forecast for the days ahead hints at increasing chances of wind and rain, which could bring additional challenges.
Henley excelled at Spyglass Hill, which averaged slightly higher scores than Pebble Beach. Other notable players like Viktor Hovland, Cam Davis, Jake Knapp, and Justin Rose all shot impressive 65s at Pebble Beach. On the other hand, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard posted similar scores at Spyglass.
With just one bogey on his scorecard, Scheffler demonstrated resilience. His only drop happened when he found himself in a bunker on the 10th hole, but he rebounded quickly by sinking a birdie on the 14th in tandem with McIlroy’s ace. Golf analyst Justin Ray noted that this marked Scheffler’s 100th round on the PGA Tour since 2022 with one bogey or less, solidifying his reputation as one of the sport’s elite players. Even after his break and the rather unusual cause for it, Scheffler maintained his exceptional form.
