Rory McIlroy admitted he was “relieved” to see Shane Lowry miss his birdie putt on 17, but the duo pocketed huge payouts after finishing first and second respectively in Sunday’s AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

McIlroy shot a final round of 66 to finish 21 under par while his Ryder Cup teammate Lowry ended the tournament on 19 under to finish in outright second.

The Offaly native slipped into the chasing pack with a one-over front nine of 37, but rallied with birdies on 11, 12, 14 and 16 to keep the pressure on his fellow countryman.

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However, Lowry missed the chance to close the gap further on 17, much to the relief of the four-time major winner.

“There's still a few scenarios that are playing through your head,” said McIlroy.

“I even though if Shane had made birdie at 17, a three-shot on 18 compared to two shots is different. I was sort of relieved to see him not hole that.

“It was good to see him make four (on 18) to finish second on his own - that will make our flight home a little bit better for both of us.”

Lowry also has the consolation of a runner-up prize of $2.16 million with McIlroy taking home a cheque for $3.6 million.

As one of the PGA Tour’s ‘signature’ events, the total prize fund was a massive $20 million with every player finishing in the top event taking home at least $535,000.

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