Rory McIlroy drops controversial remark on the 'not that interesting' PGA Tour venues

Rory McIlroy reflected on his opinion about the PGA Tour's golf courses. The Northern Irishman is playing at this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which started with its first round on Thursday, January 30.

The signature PGA Tour event is taking place at two venues - Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Players have played the first two rounds on the Spyglass and Pebble Beach golf courses, while the remaining two will be held on Pebble Beach.

After the third round, Rory McIlroy jumped up 11 spots on the leaderboard, settled in second place, and is in contention to win the tournament. McIlroy opened up about PGA Tour event venues during the tournament press conference. He made a shocking statement, saying he felt good playing on Major events golf courses, while sometimes on the PGA Tour, the venue "isn't that interesting."

"I think really good venues are a big part of the storyline. When we go to major championships, especially a U.S. Open and an Open Championship, I always feel like the golf course is a big part of the storyline heading into Thursday…. Sometimes on the PGA TOUR that isn't the case because whether you play a run of the mill TPC or whatever it is, it just isn't that interesting," he said.

McIlroy further compared Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach Golf Links and shared his opinion on playing on these two courses, adding:

"So to come back to Pebble Beach time and again and play, and Spyglass, I think Spyglass is a really, really good golf course… To play these two golf courses, it's definitely two of the best that we play all year. Yeah, I think it's - you know, if everything's on the table for whatever this new look PGA TOUR's going to be, I think venues are going to be a big part of it.”

Rory McIlroy teed it up for the first round on Spyglass Hill Golf Course and played a round of 6-under 66. However, after that, he played the next two rounds at Pebble Beach and tied for second at 15-under, heading into the finale on Sunday, February 2.

---

Rory McIlroy reflects on his performance at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2025

After having a good start with a round of 66 at the Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Rory McIlroy struggled on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in the second round. He played a round of 70 but bounced back on the third day and played a round of 65.

Following the third round of the tournament, Rory McIlroy opened up about his performance, saying (via Tee Scripts):

"It was a really good poor weather performance. I think if there's a wind that you want to play Pebble Beach in, this is sort of it. So it was -- as long as you managed it and sort of really controlled the flight of your golf ball, which I did well today, I still felt with how receptive the greens were, I still felt there was a score out there."

Meanwhile, Sepp Straka is in the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2025 at 16-under. Shane Lowry tied with McIlroy for second place at 15-under, followed by Justin Rose, Tom Kim, and Cam Davis, who are tied for fourth place.