Rory McIlroy Drills Hole-In-One At Pebble Beach Pro-Am

The first big event on the PGA Tour calendar for 2025 is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Players like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Thomas are all teeing it up this week at one of the greatest golf courses in the world. 

McIlroy entered the week as one of the betting favorites, as usual, though trailing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the pre-tournament odds. 

But those odds shifted quickly during the first round, with McIlroy making up a ton of ground on Scheffler after an early eagle. Not just any eagle, however, as McIlroy made a hole-in-one on the par-3 15th hole at Spyglass Hill. 

This PGA Tour tournament is unique in that players are split on the first day between Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. Players play one course on Thursday and the other on Friday. 

On Saturday and Sunday, the third and fourth rounds of the tournament, all players play at Pebble Beach as they battle for the tournament championship. 

McIlroy's day got off to an up-and-down start. He made par on the first hole after missing a birdie putt from inside 12 feet. He did the same on the second hole with a missed 10-foot birdie (which was a three-putt on the par 5). 

He finally made a birdie on the third hole, a par 3. But that wouldn't come close to what he did a little bit later on the second par 3 of his day. 

Before that, though, Rory McIlroy made another par after missing a birdie putt inside 15 feet on the par-4 fourth and three-putted again on the par-5 fifth.

Clearly, McIlroy's putter wasn't behaving how he wanted. There's one sure-fire way to correct that, though. Hole out so you don't have to putt at all. 

And that's exactly what McIlroy did on the short, 119-yard par-3 sixth hole at Spyglass Hill. 

Not only did McIlroy make an ace during his first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but he did it without the ball ever hitting anything but the flagstick and the bottom of the cup. No lucky rolls or bounces required. 

It's crazy that McIlroy, one of the greatest golfers in history, had only made one previous hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. And that came two years ago at the 2023 Travelers Championship

Despite the ace, McIlroy can't count on holing out all weekend, so he needs to get his putter figured out. If he can, though, there's no reason the former #1 golfer in the world can't contend to win the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.