Belgium’s Thomas Detry took a one-shot lead after the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM as Rory McIlroy suffered a dramatic late-round collapse.
McIlroy, playing his first PGA Tour round of the year after a win and a second place in Dubai, was leading after 14 holes as three successive birdies took him to six-under-par.
But the world number two dropped five strokes in his final four holes at Spyglass Hill – one of two courses being used by the 80-strong field – including a triple bogey at the par five seventh hole after he fell foul of a rule change which cost him a two-shot penalty.
Having dropped within a club length of an unplayable lie, he was informed before signing his card for a final 71 of a change in the rules that a player must drop on the direct line.
“I wasn’t aware that that rule was changed again in 2023, so I took a drop thinking of the 2019 rules when everything was sort of changed, said McIlroy, who trails Detry by eight strokes.
The Belgian started and finished with three birdies carding a career-high ten birdies and a career-low round 63 on TOUR. American Patrick Cantlay lies one shot behind.
Matthieu Pavon, who won last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, was a shot further back on 65 after the best round of the day at Pebble Beach.
Justin Rose birdied his three holes at Spyglass Hill in a four-under-par 68, one better than fellow Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Nick Dunlap, playing his first round as a professional after winning The American Express tournament as an amateur last month, was tied for last place after a four-over-par 76.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is the second Signature Event of the 2024 PGA TOUR Season and only Signature Event that has a set field size (due to the pro-am format). The event features no cut and is played on two courses (Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course), with the pro-am portion concluding on Friday.
Related: Tom Vaillant takes one-shot lead in Bahrain
| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Detry(SH) | -9 | 63 |
| 2 | Patrick Cantlay(SH) | -8 | 64 |
| 3 | Matthieu Pavon(PB) | -7 | 65 |
| T4 | Emiliano Grillo(SH) | -6 | 66 |
| T4 | Si Woo Kim(PB) | -6 | 66 |
| T6 | Rickie Fowler(SH) | -5 | 67 |
| T6 | Collin Morikawa(PB) | -5 | 67 |
| T8 | Ludvig Åberg(SH) | -4 | 68 |
| T8 | Eric Cole(PB) | -4 | 68 |
| T8 | Denny McCarthy(PB) | -4 | 68 |
| T8 | Sam Burns(SH) | -4 | 68 |
| T8 | Justin Rose(SH) | -4 | 68 |
| T8 | Justin Thomas(SH) | -4 | 68 |
| T14 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Taylor Montgomery(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Tommy Fleetwood(SH) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Kurt Kitayama(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Scottie Scheffler(SH) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Max Homa(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Sepp Straka(SH) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Viktor Hovland(SH) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Mark Hubbard(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Erik van Rooyen(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Matt Fitzpatrick(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Matt Kuchar(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Jason Day(SH) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Peter Malnati(PB) | -3 | 69 |
| T14 | Beau Hossler(SH) | -3 | 69 |
| T29 | Brendon Todd(PB) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Lee Hodges(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Sahith Theegala(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | S.H. Kim(PB) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Adam Svensson(PB) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Cam Davis(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | J.T. Poston(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Corey Conners(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Taylor Moore(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T29 | Keegan Bradley(SH) | -2 | 70 |
| T39 | Rory McIlroy(SH) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Cameron Young(SH) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Sam Ryder(PB) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Chris Kirk(SH) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Tom Kim(PB) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Nick Taylor(PB) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Davis Riley(SH) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Nick Hardy(PB) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Tom Hoge(SH) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Alex Noren(PB) | -1 | 71 |
| T39 | Byeong Hun An(SH) | -1 | 71 |
| T50 | Andrew Putnam(SH) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Russell Henley(PB) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Sungjae Im(PB) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Brian Harman(SH) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Maverick McNealy(PB) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Luke List(PB) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Kevin Yu(SH) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Adam Scott(SH) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Seamus Power(PB) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Tony Finau(PB) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Jordan Spieth(SH) | Par | 72 |
| T50 | Wyndham Clark(SH) | Par | 72 |
| T62 | Grayson Murray(SH) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Adam Hadwin(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Webb Simpson(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Alex Smalley(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Stephan Jaeger(SH) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Lucas Glover(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Xander Schauffele(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | Brandon Wu(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T62 | J.J. Spaun(PB) | +1 | 73 |
| T71 | Ben Griffin(PB) | +2 | 74 |
| T71 | Adam Schenk(SH) | +2 | 74 |
| T71 | Keith Mitchell(SH) | +2 | 74 |
| T71 | Nicolai Højgaard(SH) | +2 | 74 |
| T75 | Hideki Matsuyama(SH) | +3 | 75 |
| T75 | Harris English(PB) | +3 | 75 |
| T77 | Hayden Buckley(PB) | +4 | 76 |
| T77 | Mackenzie Hughes(SH) | +4 | 76 |
| T77 | Patrick Rodgers(PB) | +4 | 76 |
| T77 | Nick Dunlap(PB) | +4 | 76 |
Simon Bale
The editorial team at Golf Today strives to provide readers with captivating content that celebrates the rich heritage and exciting developments in the world of golf. Their collective expertise and dedication ensure that Golf Today remains a premier destination for golf enthusiasts seeking the latest news, insightful analysis, and engaging stories from the world of golf.