Rory McIlroy marked the first round of his PGA Tour year with that rarest of holes-in-one: an ace that did not even take a bounce or a roll before disappearing into the hole.

After starting on the 10th at Spyglass Hill in the AT&T Pro-Am, the World No 3 was one-under after six holes and bemoaning three-putts on the 11th and 14th, a pair of par-fives that he hit in two. The best method to avoid putting woes is to allow yourself the luxury of leaving the flat stick in the bag, as McIlroy proved on the 119-yard 15th.

This was the 35-year-old’s third hole-in-one in professional competition and undoubtedly the most unusual of the trio. The “slam dunk” with a wedge into the cup required the greenkeepers to repair the turf around the pin, but by then McIlroy had already celebrated with his playing partner, Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg.

Having achieved his first ace as a nine-year-old at his home course of Holywood in Belfast, McIlroy had to wait until his eighth year as a pro, at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Championship, to repeat the trick. His first on the PGA Tour came at the Travelers Championship in 2023 – but there was not another eight-year itch until he completed the hat-trick.

Perhaps McIlroy would have preferred to wait until he teed it up on the revered Pebble Beach course in the second round on the Monterey Peninsula. But the Northern Irishman would not have been moaning, in his first appearance on the United States circuit for five months. He finished his first round six under par, one behind early pacesetter Justin Rose and two off leader Russell Henley.

Despite the California tournament featuring amateurs accompanying the pros in the first two rounds – McIlroy is joined by investment banker Jeff Rhodes – the 72-holer is one of the Tour’s $20 million “signature events”. McIlroy had arrived in confident mood after finishing fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this month on his seasonal bow.

McIlroy was not the only one celebrating an ace, with his Irish Olympic team-mate Shane Lowry following suit at Pebble Beach’s signature seventh hole.

It was the third hole-in-one of Lowry’s PGA Tour career and completed something of a holy trinity of par-three hole-outs, having also achieved the feat at two of golf’s most famous holes, the 17th at TPC Sawgrass and the 16th at Augusta National, home of the Masters.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is making his first appearance of 2025 after suffering hand injuries because of a bizarre accident with a wine glass when trying to roll pasta on Christmas Day. The American, also playing his first round at Spyglass, finished one back from McIlroy with a five-under-par 67.