Rory McIlroy arrives for his second TGL match Tuesday with something no one has ever had in the short life of the indoor golf league.
A trophy from the previous week.
McIlroy, whose Boston Common Golf team is seeking its first victory in the league he and Tiger Woods created, separated himself on the back nine at Pebble Beach Sunday to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a 21-under-par 267. He finished two shots over friend and fellow Jupiter resident, Shane Lowry.
McIlroy then hopped on a plane and returned home for Tuesday’s match at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens. Boston Common will face Los Angeles Golf Club with McIlroy, Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley facing Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose.
McIlroy’s team was upset last week, losing to Tiger Woods and Jupiter Links, 4-3 in overtime. L.A. won its lone TGL match, defeating Jupiter, 12-1 on Jan. 14.
Jupiter’s win over Boston was the first close match of TGL’s inaugural season.
More: TGL’s chip-off overtime rule: How Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy developed finale for new league
“I think the nature of competition is you’re going to have some matches that are blowouts and you’re going to have some matches that are really tight,” McIlroy said. “I think it was really cool that tonight was one of those matches that was really tight. I think the people in the arena seemed to enjoy it, and hopefully the people at home seemed to enjoy it, too.
“But that doesn’t mean that there’s going to be other matches that might not be as close. It certainly helps from an entertainment perspective to have it that night, but that’s something that we can’t guarantee. This is competition, as well, at the end of the day, and we’re all trying to beat each other as best as we can.”
Rory McIlroy’s win at Pebble Beach his 27th on PGA Tour
McIlroy’s victory at Pebble Beach was his 27th on the PGA Tour and came in his first PGA Tour event of the season. He closed with a 66, including a 31 on the back nine where he carded three birdies and an eagle on No. 14. He is 22nd on the PGA Tour all-time win list, one behind Leo Diegel and Paul Runyan, who are tied for 20th.
“Getting to that number is really cool,” said McIlroy, who also has won 18 times on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour. “I think for me it’s even more meaningful that I don’t really play a full, full schedule on the PGA Tour either. I spend my time between here and the DP World Tour.
“Hopefully I keep adding to that and break a 30 barrier at some point this year and keep going from there.”
That, and record his first win in TGL.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: After Pebble Beach victory, Rory McIlroy looking for first win in TGL
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