How many aces has Rory McIlroy made on the PGA Tour? All details explored

Rory McIlroy sank the first ace of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday (Jan. 30). On the 15th hole, the Irishman needed just one shot to travel exactly 119 yards off the tee box and sink it. It didn't even require a bounce to go in the hole, as McIlroy just hit it as perfectly as he could. How many times has McIlroy done that before?

The PGA Tour provided the answer: just one other time. It's his second-ever hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. Even the announcers remarked on that fact after his astonishing shot, noting that it was the second time he'd achieved this feat.

The first time McIlroy did this was on June 22, 2023. He had played 3,532 attempts before doing that one, and in relatively quick fashion, he doubled his total today.

That one was not as perfect, though. McIlroy's shot today went directly in the hole. In 2023 at the Travelers Championship, McIlroy's drive landed about 15 feet away from the hole before it rolled in.

That one also came in the first round of the event, but it did not lead to a win. McIlroy finished tied for seventh in that event despite shooting 18 under. Keegan Bradley was five strokes clear of McIlroy in that tournament.

Ironically, he's tied for seventh at the time of writing in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He's three under after 10 holes and trails Collin Morikawa by three strokes.

Also ironically, the last person to ace the 15th hole at Spyglass like Rory McIlroy has now done was Justin Rose in 2023, the same year as the Irishman's other ace. Rose went on to win that event, however.

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Rory McIlroy has take on PGA Tour's slide in ratings

Per the ratings, people aren't watching golf as much anymore. The ratings have been down, so much so that the PGA Tour and people involved with it are trying to find solutions.

Rory McIlroy spoke on the low TV ratings (Image via Imagn)

McIlroy doesn't necessarily have a solution, but he did offer some insight into the problem. Via Golf.com, he said:

“When we’re growing up dreaming of professional golfers and trying to get the best out of ourselves, the last thing on our mind is being an entertainer. We’re competitive people at the end of the day, we want to play against the best players in the world and we want to try to come out on top. I think that in itself should be entertaining to people.”

Rory McIlroy is a pro golfer first and foremost. His responsibility is to win and to play his best, and that doesn't always mean taking into account his speed or the entertainment factor. He is just trying to play golf and isn't worrying about anyone else.