PEBBLE BEACH >> The knock on Rory McIlroy used to be that he won his majors on soft courses. Even on Sunday, when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy said an argument could be made that he hasn’t won on courses of the highest repute.

That’s what made this victory a little more special.

“There’s a few what I could call cathedrals of golf here — Augusta, St. Andrews obviously, maybe a few more you could add in there,” he said. “I had a big, fat zero on all of those going in here. To knock one off at Pebble is very cool. I’m a big historian of the game, and I remember all the championships that have been played here. And to add my name to that list is pretty cool.”

Art Spander, the longtime Bay Area columnist, years ago referred to Pebble Beach, Augusta and St. Andrews as the three best datelines in golf. Imagine having trophies from all three.

It’s a small list.

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have the ultimate trifecta as the only players to have won the Masters at Augusta National, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews.

Sam Snead won majors at Augusta National and St. Andrews, along with winning the Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble. Add to the list Mark O’Meara and Phil Mickelson. They won the Masters, along with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Dunhill Cup at St. Andrews.

McIlroy has only one, but he’ll take it, along with a few close calls.

He lost a four-shot lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters (he was runner-up in 2022 to Scottie Scheffler but never had a chance to win) and he lost the share of the 54-hole lead at St. Andrews in 2022, finishing third behind Cameron Smith. He also has had three runner-up finishes in the Dunhill Links Championship, where two rounds are held at St. Andrews.