Rory McIlroy emerged victorious in the season's first head-to-head matchup between the world's top two ranked golfers against Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy shot a 4-under-par 68 at Spyglass Hill (par 72) in Pebble Beach, California, on Thursday in the opening round of the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which carries a $20 million purse. He trails solo leader Ryo Hisatsune of Japan by six strokes after the Japanese golfer carded a 10-under-par 62. McIlroy recorded one eagle and six birdies but was hindered by two double bogeys. This tournament marks McIlroy's first PGA Tour appearance of the season. He is the defending champion.
Scheffler, playing his first round at Pebble Beach Golf Links (par 72), struggled to find momentum. He traded three birdies for three bogeys to finish at even par, tied for 62nd place. Scheffler also started slowly at last week's Phoenix Open with a 2-over-par opening round but rallied to finish tied for third.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is the first of eight PGA Tour Signature Events this year, featuring a field limited to the top 80 ranked players. The first two rounds alternate between Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill, with the final two rounds held at Pebble Beach.
Kim Si-woo, the only Korean player in the field, shot a 5-under-par 67 at Pebble Beach Golf Links with one eagle, five birdies, and two bogeys. He is tied for 19th alongside Tommy Fleetwood of England, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, and Korean-Australian Min Woo Lee.
Kim has been on an upward trajectory, finishing tied for sixth, tied for second, and tied for third in his last three tournaments. He sits just two strokes behind the group tied for seventh, positioning him to contend for the lead in the remaining rounds.
Hisatsune delivered a flawless performance with 10 birdies and no bogeys to claim the top spot on the leaderboard. Sam Burns and Keegan Bradley of the United States are tied for second at 9-under-par. Chris Gotterup, who became the first player this season to capture two wins, is tied for fourth at 8-under-par.