By the time Rory McIlroy reached the 18th tee at Pebble Beach Sunday afternoon, he had time to look around, breathe in the salt air and think about what Scottie Scheffler might do in his position.
McIlroy was three strokes clear of his nearest challengers and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am’s crystal trophy was about 500 yards away, awaiting his embrace.
The temptation was to pull the driver out of his bag and scald one more rainbow into the northern California sky, doing what McIlroy does best.
Instead, McIlroy pulled a 5-iron, played the conservative tee shot and made 5 the easy way, knowing it was more than enough to win his 27th PGA Tour event. If the wisps of gray flecking McIlroy’s hair these days weren’t evidence enough of his growing into middle age, the way he played the 72nd hole on Sunday showed more than his Shotlink statistics might.
Having watched Scheffler dominate professional golf the past couple of years, McIlroy has not only gained an appreciation for what the Texan is doing, he’s applying some of what he has seen to his own game.
“Just trying to take a little bit of a leaf out of his book,” McIlroy explained late Sunday afternoon at Pebble Beach.
Hence, the 5-iron off the 18th tee.
It’s a decision that goes against McIlroy’s inbred aggressiveness that is accentuated by his brilliance with a driver in his hand. McIlroy is on the short list of the best and longest drivers in tour history but Sunday was one of those moments when doing less felt like doing more.
He fought his impulse to go for more than what he needed.
“I think if I didn’t have the same impulses, people maybe wouldn’t like to watch me play as much, if that makes sense. I do feel that connection to the crowd of … hitting certain shots or doing certain things that people get – I get enjoyment out of them too, but people watching get enjoyment out of it also,” McIlroy said.
“But I also understand that that maybe isn’t the best way to consistently win golf tournaments. At this point in my career that’s what I want to do, I want to consistently win golf tournaments.
“Ten years ago with a three-shot lead on the 18th hole here would I hit 5-iron off the tee? Probably not. Just understanding the scenario and what I needed to do, it was a different case today.”
That’s where the Scheffler influence is evident in McIlroy’s approach. McIlroy has marveled at Scheffler’s ability to keep bogeys off his scorecard, to play the right shot rather than the exciting shot every time.
“There’s impulses that I have on the golf course that it looks like Scottie doesn’t have and I have to rein those in and I have to try to be a little more disciplined about it and that’s what I’m trying to do.” – Rory McIlroy
It’s what Jack Nicklaus did so well. Nicklaus, like Scheffler and McIlroy, had rare talent but he also rarely made the mistakes others made, letting his opponents beat themselves. Scheffler does that brilliantly and, like the great ones do, he finds his moment to separate himself.
Scheffler’s strategy and his discipline are what most impress McIlroy.
“I’m a big admirer of Scottie’s for a lot of different reasons, but every time I play with him and I watch how he plays and how disciplined he is, it’s a really cool thing to watch,” McIlroy said.
“There’s impulses that I have on the golf course that it looks like Scottie doesn’t have and I have to rein those in and I have to try to be a little more disciplined about it and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
McIlroy has also focused on being better with his wedge play. He ranked 70th on tour last year in strokes gained from inside 100 yards and given the advantage created by his length off the tee, minimizing his relative inconsistency on shorter shots is a priority.
Lucas Glover, who tied for third at Pebble Beach, plays and practices out of the same club as McIlroy in south Florida and sees on a regular basis the time and work being invested.
“He’s honestly to me getting better as he ages, which I don’t think people do much,” Glover said. “But he’s hitting it maybe further than he ever has and hitting it better than he ever has, looks to me anyway. First week out on our tour and looks like he’s dominating. Good for him.”
McIlroy’s buddy Shane Lowry, who finished second two strokes behind on Sunday, dismissed the notion that McIlroy has ever been in what might be called a slump. Despite falling to 16th in the world ranking in 2021, McIlroy hasn’t been outside the top three since August 2022.
“I don’t think there’s any difference in the game, I still think he’s great,” Lowry said.
For McIlroy, who said he would like to reach 30 career PGA Tour wins this year, the goal is simple.
“Scottie is and has been the best player in our game for the last couple years. I feel like I’ve been close but just not quite there,” McIlroy said.
“But that’s motivating, that’s motivating to try to get the best out of myself and try to become the best player in the world again.”