Rory McIlroy’s ‘wild’ Round 1 at Pebble ends with two-stroke penalty | Golf Central | Golf Channel

Golf Central looks back on Rory McIlroy’s Round 1 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which started off hot but ended in rough fashion, punctuated by a two-stroke penalty. #GolfChannel #GolfCentral #RoryMcIlroy
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Rory McIlroy’s ‘wild’ Round 1 at Pebble ends with two-stroke penalty | Golf Central | Golf Channel
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THERE ARE A NUMBER HOLE-HIGH TOURNAMENTS HE COULD WIN. COULD BE A BIG STAR. HE HAS ATTRIBUTES TO BE A WORLD CLASS PLAYER. HE IS LACKING THAT CONFIDENCE. MAYBE A WIN BRINGS IT FOR HIM. >> STAND UP FOR MIKE SMALL AT ILLINOIS ABOUT A DECADE AGO.

SPEAKING OF EUROPEANS, A WILD DAY FOR RIGHTY. HE WAS HUMMING ALONG. HERE HE IS AT THE PAR 3 15th. STARTED ON THE 10th AT SPY, KIND OF A MUTED LAVENDER SLACK TODAY. HE GOOSED THAT ONE ALONG. YOU SEE HOW RECEPTIVE THE GREENS ARE. >> CERTAINLY THIS IS THE TEST

FOR RORY THIS WEEK IF HE CAN PLAY THE THREE-QUARTER SHOTS TO TAKE THE SPIN OFF THOSE WEDGES. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT ALL WEEK. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT’S A BIG, BIG IMPROVEMENT IN HIS GAME. HIS PUTTING, I PREFER HIM WITH THIS PUTTER.

HE TOYED AROUND WITH THE OLD ONE BEFORE THE MASTERS LAST YEAR. HE PUTTED HIS BEST WITH THAT PUTTER AT THE MOMENT. BEAUTIFUL. >> WHAT A GORGEOUS HOLE THIS IS NUMBER 4 AT SPY. >> INCREDIBLE. WE SAW GUYS WITH DRIVER ON THE FRONT OF THE GREENS.

ONE OF THE MOST INTIMIDATING SHORT IRON SHOTS ON THE PENINSULA. EXECUTED THERE. >> TINY THERE. BIRDIED 1 AND 2. RATHER, 1, 3, AND 4. >> THIS IS NOT AN EASY SHOT EITHER. IT’S A VERY, VERY SLIM AND NARROW GREEN. YOU’VE GOT TO GET THE DISTANCE

CONTROL SPOT ON. IT’S WELL OVER 200 YARDS. PROBABLY A 4 IRON FROM McILROY. HUNTING DOWN THAT FLAG. >> SO HE IS BOGEY-FREE, 6 UNDER WITH FOUR HOLES TO PLAY. AND HE BOGEYED 6 AND NOW AT THE PAR 5 7th. >> IT WAS A BIT OF A SLOPPY

THREE-PUTT ON 6. PULLED THE TEE SHOT. THERE IS A BUNCH OF TREES. A SPOT OF BOTHER. >> YOU SEE WHAT THE PLAYERS, ONE MISTAKE LEADS TO ANOTHER. AND IN A BOTHER HERE. WITH THE HEAD SWIVELING A LITTLE BIT, MADE A FATAL ERROR HERE. >> HE CERTAINLY DID TAKE AN

UNPLAYABLE BACK ONLINE. WE WILL GET INTO WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE ROUND. >> YEAH. HE JUST, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET OUT OF HERE, PAR, BOGEY IT AT THE WORST. HE WAS LEADING THE TOURNAMENT, GRANTED EARLY, BUT AT 6 UNDER WITH FOUR HOLES TO PLAY, LEADING THE TOURNAMENT.

>> THIS A NEW PIN ON 8. DOWN ON THIS REALLY STEEP FRONT PART. YOU CANNOT BE ABOVE THIS HOLE. HE A WEDGE IN HIS HAND FROM THE CENTER OF THE FAIRWAY AND MADE A CRUCIAL ERROR LEAVING THAT UP ON TOP OF THE SLOPE. YOU WATCH THIS FALL, RUN OFF THE

GREEN. >> COURSE MANAGEMENT SO VITAL AROUND THERE, CONTROLLING THE DISTANCES. ONLY A WEDGE. A POOR MISADJUSTMENT OF THE SECOND SHOT. IT’S A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED GREEN. YOU SEE THE NEW GRASS THERE. CREATED MORE PIN POSITIONS. IF YOU ARE WRONG THERE, HE THOUGHT HE MADE BOGEY AT THAT

PAR 5 7th. YOU SEE IT BECAME A TRIPLE-BOGEY. HE WAS ASSESSED A TWO-SHOT PENALTY. WE WILL SHOW YOU WHY. 6 UNDER, FOUR HOLES TO PLAY, INCLUDING THAT PAR 5. HE PLAYS THE LAST FOUR IN 5 OVER PAR. HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED. JOHNSON, EXPLAIN.

>> HE IS IN HERE TRYING TO GET TO SEE IF HE CAN SWING IT. HE DECIDES TO TAKE AN UNPLAYABLE. YOU CAN TAKE TWO CLUB LENGTHS, GO BACK TO THE SPOT YOU HIT THE SHOT OR TAKE A LINE BETWEEN THE BOMB AND THE FLAG AND GO BACK ON

THAT LINE. HE GETS THAT LINE. THE MISTAKE HE MADE AND THIS WAS CHANGE BACK IN ’19, WHERE YOU COULD DROP A CLUB OVER. LET’S HEAR WHAT RORY HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT IN PERSON. >> SO I TOOK AN UNPLAYABLE ON 7. AND I TOOK IT BACK ONLINE.

THEN UNBEKNOWNST TO ME THE RULES CHANGED IN JANUARY 2023, WHERE YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK ONLINE, TAKE A CLUB LENGTH EITHER SIDE. THAT WAS CHANGED IN 2019 TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. I WASN’T AWARE THAT THAT RULE WAS CHANGED IN 2023.

SO I TOOK A DROP THINKING OF THE 2019 RULES WHEN EVERYTHING WAS SORT OF CHANGED, NOT KNOWING THAT THE RULE WAS CHANGED AGAIN IN 2023. SO I GOT A TWO-STROKE PENALTY THERE. >> SO INSTEAD OF A ROUND OF 3 UNDER 69,IT IS 1 UNDER 71.

WE KNOW HE IS CAPABLE OF SPOTTING THE FIELD, A BIG LEAD, HAPPENED IN DUBAI, 10 BACK. TEN BACK AND WON THE TOURNAMENT. A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FIELD HERE THAN THE ONE THEY SAW IN DUBAI. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF WHAT HAPPENED?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, AS I SAY, ONE MISTAKE LEADS TO ANOTHER. AND I THINK IT’S A CHALLENGE OF ALL OF THESE TOP PLAYERS AND RORY IS THE EPITOME OF IT. THIS CONCENTRATION LEVEL IS HIGH INTENSITY LEVEL, PLAY FOUR ROUNDS OF GOLF. RORY HAS AREAS IN A ROUND AND HE

OFTEN COMES BACK, BUT AREAS IN A ROUND OR IN THE TOURNAMENT HE HAS A FLAT SIX HOLES OR FLAT THREE HOLES. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, A FEW SHOTS AWAY. BECAUSE HE IS SO GOOD, HE COMES BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. SO WE HAVE TO SEE IF HE IS GOING

TO DO THAT AGAIN. IT’S THE CONCENTRATION LEVELS. IT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR PLAYERS AT THIS LEVEL. IT’S NOT THE ABILITY TO PLAY GOLF. WE KNOW THE GREAT PLAYERS, THE BRILLIANT PLAYERS, WE KNOW THE GREAT PLAYERS ON THE FRONT FOOT. THAT ABILITY TO KEEP THE CONCENTRATION AND, MORE

IMPORTANTLY, KEEP THE INTENSITY OF CONCENTRATION AT A HEIGHT. IT’S NOT EASY. THERE IS NO DOUBT TIGER WOODS RAISED THE BAR ON THAT. THAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN PROFESSIONAL GOLF AT THE ELITE LEVEL. >> WHEN YOU PLAY BALL IN HAND, IT ADDS ANOTHER TEXTURE.

THERE IS AMATEURS IN THE FIELD. THE ROUNDS ARE TAKING A LITTLE BIT LONGER. AND THAT JUST ADDS TO WHAT YOU’RE SAYING ABOUT LOSING THAT MENTAL STRENGTH AT THE WRONG TIME, LET A SILLY THREE-PUTT ON 6 SNOWBALL INTO ERRORS ON THE NEXT TWO HOLES.

A POOR MENTAL ERROR ON 7. >> WE HAVE ALL DONE IT. IT’S NOT EASY PLAYING GOLF. IT’S DISTRACTION. YOU GET DISTRACTED, YOU MAKE A LITTLE MISTAKE, SAUNTERING ALONG BEAUTIFULLY, GREAT IRON SHOTS, YOU MAKE A MISTAKE AND IT’S FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER BECAUSE YOU GOT DISTRACTED AND YOUR MIND

GOES WHERE THE SQUIRREL HEADED IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. >> HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR RORY. WE DISCUSSED THAT WHAT’S LEFT FOR RORY TO DO? HE SAILS INTO THE HALL OF FAME. IT WOULD BE COMPLETE THE CAREER GRAND SLAM AT THE MASTERS. CEMENT HIMSELF AS A LEGEND FOR ALL TIMES.

MAYBE HAVE ONE OF THOSE MONSTER SEASONS. SIX-WIN SEASON. IT TAKES THAT KIND OF BURNING CONSISTENT INTENSITY THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT TO WIN FIVE, SIX, SEVEN TIMES IN A YEAR. >> NOT MANY PLAYERS HAVE DONE IT. THERE IS A REASON WHY. I GO BACK TO THE CONCENTRATION

LEVELS. THE DISCIPLINE OF DOING IT ON THE GOLF COURSE, IT’S EVERYTHING OFF THE GOLF COURSE, TOO. WITH THE TURMOIL IN THE GAME AT THE MOMENT, IT’S DIFFICULT FOR THE PLAYERS TO REMAIN REALLY, REALLY CONCENTRATED ON THEIR GOLF WITH SO MUCH GOING ON, PARTICULARLY YESTERDAY.

ARE THERE IS GOING TO BE AN EQUITY SHARE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR ME, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, A LOT OF THEM BE FIELDING OFFERS FROM LIV, DO I GO THERE, NOT GO THERE. THAT EATS INTO