Pebble Beach Shapes Up as a Signature Test—and a Rory Redemption Story

After 35 years covering this tour, I’ve learned that certain weeks carry more weight than others. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am, despite its playful pro-am format and California charm, has quietly become one of the most consequential tournaments on the schedule. This year’s edition, featuring a field that reads like a who’s-who of current golf, feels particularly consequential.

What strikes me most isn’t just the quality of the field—though that’s undeniable. It’s the narrative threads converging on the Monterey Peninsula this week. We have a defending champion trying to rekindle magic, a dominant young force chasing an elusive title, and several players desperate to prove 2025 isn’t going to be defined by their worst moments. That’s golf at its most compelling.

McIlroy’s Unfinished Business

Let’s start with Rory McIlroy, who arrived at Pebble Beach last year and essentially announced to the world that he was ready to rule professional golf again. His victory here was the opening act of an extraordinary season that included major championships, The Players, and a fourth consecutive Race to Dubai title. The guy was playing at a level we hadn’t seen from him in years.

Here’s the thing about momentum in golf—you either sustain it or you don’t. There’s precious little middle ground. McIlroy hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since November, and while his schedule has always been selective, I can’t help but wonder if this Pebble Beach return feels slightly different to him now. Can he spark that same fire? In my experience, champions who’ve tasted that kind of excellence become almost obsessed with recreating it.

"He’s back to defend his title, and will be hoping the week marks the catalyst for a similar run in 2026 in what is his first PGA Tour event of the year"

The pressure on McIlroy is real, but here’s where I lean optimistic: the man has proven he knows how to handle expectation. That’s a skill you can’t teach.

Scottie’s Achilles Heel—And Why It Matters

Then there’s Scottie Scheffler, who enters with one victory already in the books this season and a T3 at Phoenix. The American Express win proved he’s playing with the kind of precision that makes other professionals uncomfortable. Yet—and this is crucial—

"Scheffler can’t count the Pebble Beach Pro-Am among his 20 PGA Tour wins, but few would bet against him doing it this year."

I think the fact that Scheffler hasn’t won this event yet actually matters more than people realize. Most great players develop an almost supernatural ability to get it done at particular venues. The venues start to feel like home. Pebble Beach, with its combination of strategic brilliance and pure shot-making, should suit Scheffler’s game perfectly. If he wins this week, we’re probably looking at a year where he adds five, six, maybe seven more titles before the calendar flips.

The question isn’t whether Scheffler can win Pebble. The question is whether anyone else has the chops to stop him.

The Momentum Men

Chris Gotterup and Justin Rose represent different flavors of form heading into this week. Gotterup’s back-to-back wins—The Sony Open and a playoff victory over Matsuyama at Phoenix—have rocketed him to fifth in the world rankings. That’s a career moment. The danger for Gotterup, and I’ve seen this pattern repeat throughout my decades on tour, is that players who ride a hot streak sometimes play too conservatively trying to protect their ranking. The guy who wins is usually the one who plays loose, aggressive golf. Gotterup needs to channel his Hawaiian and Arizona versions of himself.

Rose’s win at Farmers Insurance two weeks ago was textbook efficiency from a player who clearly still has plenty left in the tank. Having won here before—with that memorable Monday finish in 2023—Rose knows exactly what it takes. More importantly, he’s proven this season he can execute when it matters.

The Supporting Cast

What makes this field particularly strong is the supporting cast. Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre, Xander Schauffele—these are all legitimate contenders capable of posting 72-hole scores in the mid-60s scoring range.

The elephant in the room, of course, is Brooks Koepka’s absence. Having recently returned from LIV Golf to rejoin the PGA Tour, Koepka simply didn’t earn his invitation to a Signature Event. That’s the reality of the new structure: these eight events are genuinely elite fields now. There’s no coasting in on reputation or past victories. It’s a meritocracy, which I respect even if Koepka probably doesn’t at the moment.

A Tournament That Matters

Here’s my bottom line: Pebble Beach isn’t just a nice week in California anymore. The no-cut format means 80 professionals will walk away with prize money, but make no mistake—the narrative of this week will be written by whoever’s holding the trophy on Sunday evening. McIlroy trying to recapture lightning. Scheffler trying to check another box. Rose trying to prove last week wasn’t a fluke. That’s compelling golf.

The $20 million purse is substantial, the field is genuinely world-class, and the courses—Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill for 36 holes, then Pebble alone for the finish—will test every facet of championship golf.

I’m looking forward to this one immensely.