PEBBLE BEACH, California — In a stunning display of skill at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry both celebrated hole-in-ones on Thursday, highlighting an exciting start to the PGA Tour event.

McIlroy, playing his first PGA Tour event since last September, aced the 15th hole at Spyglass Hill with a spectacular wedge shot from 119 yards that went straight into the cup without bouncing. "It’s such an elevated tee that the ball’s in the air, and you know it’s on line, but you don’t know whether to say ‘Go!’ or ‘Sit!’,” explained McIlroy after finishing with a score of 6-under 66. This marked the second hole-in-one of McIlroy’s career, with his first being during the 2023 Travelers Championship, as reported by AP News.

Lowry mirrored McIlroy's achievement with his ace at the iconic seventh hole at Pebble Beach, a shot he described as "the shot of my dreams," rolling into the hole after landing short of the pin. This marked the third hole-in-one of Lowry’s PGA Tour career, following similar feats at the Masters and Players Championship. The occurrence was notable as it was the first time since 2009 that two aces were made in a single round at the Pebble Beach tournament, as highlighted by The Guardian.

Leaders of the day included Russell Henley, who birdied his last two holes for an impressive 8-under 64, leaving him at the top of the leaderboard. Scottie Scheffler also made a comeback after a month-long absence due to a unusual injury sustained while cooking, finishing with a tidy 67 despite an early bogey; he described his day as one where he "kept the course in front of me" according to CNN.

Other players like Justin Rose and Cam Davis also performed well, each finishing with scores of 5-under 65. The calm conditions provided excellent scoring opportunities, with golfers taking advantage of the absence of wind on the first day of the tournament as noted by AP News.

As the tournament unfolds, both McIlroy and Lowry will look to maintain their momentum into the next rounds of this prestigious event.