Power Rankings: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

With a youthful swagger to match his fearless game, Rory McIlroy was 19 when we saw him for the first time on American soil in a PGA TOUR setting. But bless his giving heart, McIlroy dropped the curtain and brought the entire show to a place called Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, that February in 2009. A stunning wedge shot from a seemingly difficult lie in a fairway bunker at No. 17 highlighted a second-round stunner over Hunter Mahan. Then in the quarterfinals, McIlroy gave eventual champion Geoff Ogilvy all he could handle before falling, 2 and 1. “The real deal,â€� Ogilvy said that day, when asked about the mop-haired kid from Northern Ireland, though it was a quiet observation made by Ogilvy’s caddie that put the picture in a clearer focus. MORE RORY: McIlroy, DJ partners at Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief charity match | Rory’s key club at Seminole “If you want to be the second-best player in the world,â€� said Alastair Matheson, who was in step with the golf world in 2009, acknowledging that Tiger Woods was the unquestioned No. 1, “you’ve got to be better than Rory.â€� Yes, that World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play event 11 years ago is where we were introduced to the ease with which Rory McIlroy can play this game. Six years later at the same tournament, we witnessed Rory McIlroy doing something with even greater ease – being human. Now McIlroy walking into a media center happens dozens of times a year. No big deal. But sauntering in on a Saturday night to pull up a chair and watch a major sporting event alongside a bunch of “scribes?â€� Well, the memory still ignites a sense of warmth, because humility is a beautiful thing to witness. The memory of McIlroy visiting our media center is rekindled because of TPC Harding Park. That’s where the golf world was originally scheduled to be this week, enjoying the PGA Championship, and it’s where we were in 2015 when McIlroy emphatically showed why he was No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking as he rolled to victory. OK, so he didn’t quite “rollâ€� in his quarterfinal win over Paul Casey, but it’s because he did not that he graced us with his presence to watch the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao mega-fight. All week at TPC Harding Park, McIlroy had confirmed rumors that he had tickets to the fight and fully intended to fly from San Francisco to Las Vegas that Saturday night, then return early Sunday. Hey, that’s what immensely talented and wealthy 24-year-olds do when blessed with connections and celebrity status. But here’s something immensely talented and wealthy 24-year-olds don’t do when blessed with connections and celebrity status – they don’t sit on folding chairs in cold media centers eating pizza surrounded by golf writers. Unless they’re Rory McIlroy, that is. Because his Saturday afternoon match against Casey had stretched into the early-evening hours without a decision, McIlroy had to swallow the bitter reality that he didn’t have enough time to fly to Vegas and get to the fight. (It was good news for Harry Diamond, McIlroy’s best friend and now his caddie, and to Lee Westwood, as they got the tickets and attended the fight.) But the dilemma got especially dicey when he understood he might not have enough time to drive from TPC Harding Park to his hotel for the start of the fight, so McIlroy listened to options. The offer to watch the fight in the media center appealed to him, though it came with a caveat – there was apparently an issue about getting the pay-per-view feed. “Take it out of my prize money,â€� McIlroy said. It never did come to that, but here’s what did come out of McIlroy’s pocket – he picked up the tab for the pizzas that were ordered. He was accompanied by his girlfriend Erica Stoll (they are now married) and manager Sean O’Flaherty, and what is vivid about the memory is how McIlroy was intrigued to watch reporters on deadline and genuinely respectful of the surrounding in which he sat. He joked that he wasn’t there to edit or do interviews, but he’d clarify any questions about his match against Casey. Mostly, though, it was remarkable how McIlroy blended into the setting so seamlessly. “Great memories indeed!â€� wrote O’Flaherty via text recently when reminded of the evening. “That was a special week with the perfect outcome. I remember watching the fight in the media, and we all enjoyed some Papa John’s Pizza with a few beers.â€� True, the fight hardly lived up to its massive hype, as Mayweather won a unanimous decision in a bout that was short on action and devoid of suspense. In other words, it could not compare to McIlroy, who did live up to his billing by beating Casey on Sunday morning on the 22nd hole, then getting past Jim Furyk in the semifinals and Gary Woodland, 4 and 2, in the championship. The game’s best player produced the great golf that comes easy to him. He also delivered on what comes even easier, the humanness.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA TOUR, in conjunction with AT&T, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Pebble Beach Company, today announced that the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be played without the traditional multi-day pro-am format due to local COVID-19 circumstances in the Monterey Peninsula. The professional portion, featuring 156 players, will be played as scheduled, February 8-14, 2021, and will be held on only two courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. "We are incredibly grateful for the commitment of our title sponsor AT&T, corporate partners, PGA TOUR, Pebble Beach Company, Monterey Peninsula Country Club and volunteer community," said Steve John, Tournament Director and Monterey Peninsula Foundation CEO. "While we will truly miss watching the actors, musicians, athletes and other amateur participants that make this event so special, we are pleased to continue on with the professional competition, enabling the Foundation to support nonprofits in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. Our charitable giving will target basic needs like food insecurity, educational inequities and health inequities brought on by the pandemic." The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2021, had previously announced spectators will not be on-site at this year's event. Through the unwavering support of AT&T, the second-longest running title sponsor on the PGA TOUR, the tournament will continue to maximize charitable contributions in the area. Since 1947, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has generated more than $176 million for charities in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. "While the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am may look different, AT&T is proud to continue our legacy of supporting the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and is committed to ensuring a positive impact on the local charities who benefit from the tournament proceeds each year," said Lori Lee, CEO of AT&T Latin America and Global Marketing Officer. "It's unfortunate that we won't be hosting the amateur portion of the tournament, but the safety of the fans, the players and the volunteers is our top priority. We look forward to welcoming the fans and the amateur players back next year." In addition, a pro-am will be conducted Wednesday morning to support local charitable giving. The ‘Every Shot Counts' pro-am will allow participants the opportunity to help drive grantmaking by targeting four key initiatives. Just as every shot counts, every dollar contributed will be invested by Monterey Peninsula Foundation in critical areas brought on by the pandemic. Over the last five months, the PGA TOUR has successfully hosted Wednesday pro-ams, an integral part of tournament week. With a limited number of amateur participants, the pro-am is conducted in accordance with a comprehensive health and safety plan, including COVID-19 testing. Since the tournament moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1947, the final action has unfolded on the iconic holes of Pebble Beach Golf Links. The tournament plans to return to the traditional pro-am format - conducted over three courses - in 2022. "This was a very difficult decision, but the right one given the recent surge in COVID-19 cases," said Bill Perocchi, Chief Executive Officer of Pebble Beach Company. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have put the health and safety of our guests, employees and community first. We know this will create challenges for many local charities this year, but we are confident that the incredible giving associated with this event will continue well into the future. We appreciate the support from Monterey County and the State of California in helping to ensure a safe and successful professional tournament, as well as from our partners at AT&T, the PGA TOUR and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation." The 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was won by Nick Taylor in 2020, will be broadcast by CBS, Golf Channel, PGA TOUR LIVE, DIRECTV's "PGA TOUR Experience" and PGA TOUR Radio. Fans also can follow along the tournament's social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. "The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am's lineup of celebrities competing with the PGA TOUR's best players with the Monterey Peninsula as the backdrop has been a perfect marriage of sports and entertainment since 1947," said Tyler Dennis, Executive Vice President and President, PGA TOUR. "The PGA TOUR and our partners have maintained that the health and safety for all involved with our events and the communities in which we play is our No. 1 priority, and for that reason - together with AT&T, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Pebble Beach Company - we feel strongly this decision, while difficult, was the right call to make given the current environment. We thank our title sponsor AT&T for their support of this reimagined event and for the positive impact that will continue in the region through the charitable initiatives of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation." For more information about the tournament, visit www.attpbgolf.com. For more information about the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and opportunities to give, visit www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org.

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