After emerging victorious at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, February, 2, Rory McIlroy chatted with CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis, who the golfer was once rumored to be dating, about his big win.
“I knew today was going to be tough, it was going to be exciting,” McIlroy, 35, told Balionis, 39. “There were so many guys around the lead. With it being Pebble Beach, I had to put that to the back of my mind and just go out there and try to shoot a score.”
In his first PGA Tour start of the season, McIlroy finished 21-under for the tournament, securing a two-stroke victory over Shane Lowry. World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler finished in a tie for 9th at 15-under.
McIlroy and Balionis chatting face-to-face was noteworthy given the relationship speculation that surrounded the duo last year. The rumor mill was whipped into a frenzy after McIlroy announced he was divorcing his wife, Erica Stoll, in May 2024.
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Two weeks after McIlroy made his divorce filing, Us Weekly exclusively reported that he and Balinois were not dating. McIlroy would later withdraw his divorce petition from Stoll in June.
On the 18th green, Balinois asked McIlroy how he was able to stay in his “mind and body” while preserving a lead down the stretch at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.
“Just a really cool day,” McIlroy said. “To win in California, a place that I haven’t historically played that well before, it’s really cool. And it’s obviously a really cool way to start the season.
To close their interview, Balinois asked McIlroy what the tournament means for his mindset “moving forward.”
“I’m just as determined this year as I have been in any of the years I’ve been out here on the PGA Tour,” McIlroy said. “To get this win this early, it means a great deal. Hopefully can keep the momentum going into Torrey Pines in a couple weeks time.”
Balinois said, “Setting the tone for 2025. Congratulations. Win number 27, Rory McIlroy!”
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McIlroy will return to action at the 2025 Genesis Invitational from February 13 to 16 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California.
Prior to the start of the 2025 PGA season, McIlroy explained he’d be playing a lighter schedule than golf fans have been used to seeing.
“At this point in my career, I’m 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years, so I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well,” he told The Telegraph in November 2024. “Look I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I’m not getting any younger.”
The time away from golf will allow McIlroy to spend more time with his daughter Poppy, 4, who he shares with Stoll.
