Rory McIlroy was dialed in on Sunday at one of his favorite courses while securing his fourth career victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.
The four-time major winner carded five birdies and two eagles en route to a 6-under round at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club, which will host the PGA Championship next year for the second time. The runaway Sunday secured a -17 finish for the tournament and a five-stroke victory over second-place finisher Xander Schauffele.
Schauffele entered Sunday with a one-stroke lead over McIlroy at 12-under par. Playing in the final group, the two were tied after nine holes. McIlroy went on to card two eagles and two birdies on the back nine, while Schauffele finished the back nine at 1-over. The win at Quail Hollow was McIlroy’s fourth since 2010.
McIlroy’s dominant win arrives days ahead of the PGA Championship, which will be played next week at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The most recent of McIlroy’s’ four major victories took place when Valhalla last hosted the PGA Championship in 2014.
Sizzling back 9 secures victory for McIlroy
As McIlroy played the first seven holes at par, Schauffele opened with pars on holes 1-5 then bogeyed 6 and eagled seven to extend his lead to two strokes at 13-under. McIlroy countered with birdies on 8 and 9 to tie Schauffele at 13-under at the turn. Then he took over.
McIlroy reached the par-5 10th in two, then sank a long putt to take a two-stroke lead at 15-under.
He went on to birdie 13 and 14th before securing his second eagle of the back nine. This time he did it from the green-side bunker on the par 5 15th.
McIlroy lifted his right arm in triumph to a standing ovation after he softly landed his ball on the green on the bunker and watched drop into the hole. The eagle extended his lead over Schauffele to seven strokes at 19-under, and the tournament was all but over.
When McIlroy hit his approach shot on 18 into the water, it didn’t matter. He fell short of the 72-hole course record of -19, but his double bogey on the final hole made no difference in the final standings. He was greeted at the 18th green with a chant of “Rory, Rory, Rory!” despite the wet ball.
The win was the second in two events for McIlroy after he won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on April 28. He now moves up to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings behind Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele and Wyndham Clark. He’s hitting is stride just in time to compete for his fifth career major.
