Ex-PGA Tour pro Carl Paulson calls Rory McIlroy a 'rare breed' while comparing him to Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler

Former PGA Tour pro Carl Paulson called Rory McIlroy a rare breed while he compared him to Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler. The Northern Irishman had kickstarted his 2025 PGA Tour season campaign with an amazing victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He was phenomenal with his game last week and registered his 27th win on the PGA Tour.

On February 4, in an episode of SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Carl Paulson talked about Rory McIlroy and his impressive game last week. He called him a "rare breed" and also compared him to other Tour players. Speaking of McIlroy, Paulson said:

"Rory McIlroy is one of a rare breed. We've seen Scottie do it, we've seen Tiger do it. And that is, when they get all of the confidence in the world and get that pull-away strength, there's nobody that can catch them."

At last week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Rory McIlroy had started his campaign with a solid round of 66. However, after a decent start to the game, he struggled on the second day and played a round of 70.

However, after that, he had a great time on the greens and played the final two rounds of 65 and 66. With a total of 21-under, McIlroy seized the title by two strokes over Shane Lowry.

---

Rory McIlroy joins a unique club with Tiger Woods with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am win

With the win last week, Rory McIlroy became one of the handful of golfers who had won at least 27 PGA Tour events and at least 4 Major tournaments in the last three decades. He joined the elite club featuring Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Moreover, it was his first time winning the Pebble Beach event, a tournament where Major champions such as Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods had lifted the trophy.

During the press conference of the tournament on February 2, Rory McIlroy reflected on winning the tournament at Pebble Beach. He said (via Tee Scripts):

"There's some venues in our game that just mean a little bit more than others and that's probably to do with the history and the people that have -- that have won on those courses and what those people have meant to the game of golf.

"I've had a few close calls at St. Andrews, which is another one of those important venues in our game. Augusta National being another one, too. So to be able to get a win on one of those iconic venues is awesome," he added.

Shane Lowry settled in second place at the tournament, followed by Lucas Glover and Justin Rose tied for third place. Cam Davis tied for fifth with Russell Henley at 17-under, followed by Tom Kim and Sepp Straka.