SAN DIEGO, California—Add Rory McIlroy to the list of Ho-sung Choi admirers, even if he’s a bit unsure the Korean “fisherman” is deserving of a PGA Tour start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

“Technically his swing is good,” McIlroy said after a lengthy pause as he searched for the right description. “If you watch it up until impact, he’s technically got a pretty good swing. He’s obviously a pretty good player.”

Surprisingly, McIlroy lobbed a surprise statement about the world No. 194.

“Whether that means he should be taking a spot away from a PGA Tour player at a PGA Tour event, I’m not so sure.”

McIlroy may lament that view when he sees names like Tim Herron, Peter Jacobsen and Steve Jones in the AT&T field this year.

But keeping his admiration intact, McIlroy did wonder about the energy Choi puts into each shot. 

“I’m not sure a golf shot should mean that much to you that you’re doing that after you hit it, like it’s just trying a little too hard. You have to try hard at golf, but that’s taking it to an extreme.”