The knock on Rory McIlroy used to be that he won his majors on soft courses. Even on Sunday, when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy said an argument could be made that he hasn't won on courses of the highest repute.

With a 66, McIroy lifted his 27th PGA Tour title by posting a 21-under total that was two clear of Lowry (68). But it felt so much more substantial. “I’m glad Shane birdied the last to take outright second,” McIlroy said. “We’ll fly home to Florida tonight and it will make the journey so much more enjoyable.”

McIlroy had looked as though he was the player to beat from the second hole, when he hit a tough pitch from 50 yards away over a bunker to a back pin with enough height and spin to set up a two-foot birdie putt. It was after his lone bogey on the tough eighth hole where he pulled away, though, leaving everyone else in a hopeless chase.

Rory McIlroy played a game nearly as magnificent as the Pebble Beach scenery Sunday as he powered his way past a pack of contenders and closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Golf fans have been clamoring for great leaderboard at great courses, and they got just that Sunday. Viewership numbers were through the roof.

Rory McIlroy mirrors Scottie Scheffler's precise strategy at Pebble Beach, transforming a tactical game into a thrilling contest. Keith Stewart recaps.

Between media obligations and a cross-country flight home, Rory McIlroy had a hectic schedule on Sunday evening after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. That didn’t keep him from enjoying a certain Californian delicacy as part of his celebratory meal.