Going into the PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy is fired up.
With yet another masterful effort at Quail Hollow on Sunday, McIlroy captured the Wells Fargo Championship for a record-tying fourth time. He overcame a two-stroke deficit to defeat Xander Schauffele by five strokes.
He is the only player to have won the event more than twice.
Despite making two bogeys on the 18th hole, McIlroy finished with a 6-under 65, having completed the last 11 holes in 6-under par. After shooting four consecutive rounds in the 60s, he ended at 17-under 267 to win his second consecutive PGA TOUR tournament. Two weeks prior, he had won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans with Shane Lowry.
McIlroy should have a lot of momentum going into the PGA Championship in Kentucky at Valhalla Golf Club, where he won his last major championship ten years ago.
Schauffele scored 71.
Schauffele’s eagle on the seventh par-5 put McIlroy two behind, but the world’s second-ranked golfer changed gear shortly after.
After Schauffele settled for a birdie on the eighth and ninth holes, the Northern Ireland star got even. Then, on the tenth hole, he holed a 33-foot eagle putt for his first lead of the tournament.
With Schauffele’s bogey at 12, McIlroy had more space to maneuver.
Then, on 13, McIlroy made birdie and Schauffele missed another putt for par, giving him a four-shot lead that effectively secured the victory.
McIlroy wasn’t done, though.
He finished an incredible run of playing eight holes in 8-under par when he scored another birdie on No. 14 and then sealed the title on No. 15 by chipping in from the sand for another eagle.
“You know, he’s Rory McIlroy? He has shorter clubs onto firm greens than anyone else and hits it 350 yards downwind. He’s all in when he’s on. Bravo to him on his victory. He performed astonishingly well.” McIlroy said.
The only thing left to determine at that time was whether McIlroy could tie his own tournament record of 21-under and course record of 61.
He could not.
Even so, he forced a smile when he misfired on No. 18, sending the ball past the green and into the sea, forcing him to take a drop. Amidst applause for his name, he scored a double-bogey triumph.
After making my own birdie, I just went on a run that I can apparently go on at this golf course. Throughout my career, Quail Hollow and Charlotte have been really kind to me, and this is just another wonderful day to kind of add to all the others.
The way McIlroy finished brought back memories of 2010, when he defeated Phil Mickelson with a final round 62 to win his first-ever PGA TOUR title. He took home the victory in both 2015 and 2021.
Because Quail Hollow lets him exploit his length off the tee, McIlroy has always regarded it as one of his favorite courses. However, on Sunday, it was his putting that brought him his 26th career PGA TOUR victory.
He needed twenty-five putts and he made five that were longer than ten feet.
It was a frustrating way for Schauffele to cap off a productive week.
He placed second for the second year in a row, and his winless run, which began in 2022, now spanned 39 events. After 36 holes, he was ahead by four strokes.
At 9 under, Byeong Hun An came in third, while Sungjae Im and Jason Day shared fourth place at 6 under.
Following the Mother’s Day triumph, McIlroy praised his mother Rosie, who was in Florida.
“My mother is great. My dad is probably well known to most people, but my mom has always been the glue or the rock that keeps our family together. As I mentioned last night, I think I’m more like my dad than my mom, but there are moments when I wish I was more like my mom.” McIlroy said.
Max Homa submitted the day’s best shot.
On the first hole, Homa made an eagle shot from the rough at a distance of 213 yards. His ball struck the front of the green, rolled all the way to the back, and then struck the flagstick with force, sinking in. However, the two-time Wells Fargo winner was unable to maintain the pace after shooting 72 to take ninth position.
