Rory McIlroy returned to the PGA Tour with a bang, acing his sixth hole in Round 1 of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The four-time Major champion, who started on the back nine at Spyglass Hill, flew his tee shot into the hole at the 119-yard, par-3 15th.
The impressive effort moved him to 3 under par for the tournament and into an early share of the lead.
McIlroy broke into a wide grin and high-fived his caddie and playing partners, among them his Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Aberg, as he celebrated.
Officials stated that he damaged the cup after his ball slammed in the hole.
His shot was so good, in fact, that the cameras failed to catch the moment it flew in.
And when it was shared across social media by the PGA Tour‘s official account, many fans were left making the same joke.
“The camera man blew it…” one person wrote.
“Isn’t the camera man’s only job to get these shots,” another questioned.
“Camera man had ONE job!!!” a third concluded.
McIlroy, a 26-time PGA Tour winner, and the only three-time winner of the FedExCup, is making his first Tour start of the year after a 2024 season that saw him capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Truist Championship.
He also won the DP World Tour Championship to capture his sixth Race to Dubai title last November.
The hole-in-one he sank at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday was only the second of his Tour career.
He made his first one in Round 1 of the 2023 Travelers Championship, on TPC River Highlands’ eighth hole.
McIlroy aced the 214-yard, par-3 8th hole with a 5-iron.
This effort, meanwhile, is the sixth hole-in-one on Spyglass Hill’s 15th hole.
The most recent one before him was carded by Justin Rose in 2023 — who went on to eventually win the event.
McIlroy will hope to do the same, but has tough competition, with 45 of the top 50 players in the world in action at the tournament, which is played over two courses.
The iconic Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill make up the tracks for the event which has no cut.
