Golf

Rory McIlroy struggles to fall way off the pace at Pebble Beach

Ludvig Aberg, Thomas Detry and Scottie Scheffler are tied for the lead as Power is middle of the pack

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the ninth hole during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty

Sat Feb 3 2024 - 14:07

Rory McIlroy suffered a difficult day at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as a second round 74 left him on one-over-par, 12 shots off the lead.

McIlroy, who was given a two-shot penalty in the previous round for an incorrect drop, got his round off to a terrible start with a bogey at the first and a double-bogey on the short par 4 4th after his drive went out of bounds. From there, he had three birdies and two bogeys to sign for a 74.

It was a much better day for Ireland’s Séamus Power, who shot a solid 69 to lie tied 44th after the opening two rounds.

American Scottie Scheffler shot an eight-under-par 64 to join Belgian Thomas Detry and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg in the halfway lead of the PGA Tour signature event.

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Scheffler hit eight birdies without a blemish on his card to sit at 11-under-par while battling a course wet from overnight rain.

The world number one said aside from the weather, it was “just another day”.

“Like on a lot of these back-to-front greens, it’s a big adjustment going from hitting a pitching wedge to hitting an eight iron to try to take off spin,” he said. “It’s little stuff like that you have to adjust to on the course.”

Detry failed to repeat his first day’s efforts of 63 at Spyglass Hill, shooting a two-under-par 70 at Pebble Beach while Aberg hit a seven-under 65 to join the leading trio.

On the opening day of the new LIV Golf tour season, Joaquin Niemann shot a 59 in Mexico.

All eyes may have been on Jon Rahm as the Masters champion made his first appearance since his big-money defection from the PGA Tour but it was Chilean Niemann who stole the show, carding 10 birdies and an eagle after starting on the second in the shotgun start format.

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