Rory McIlroy roars back just in time for the PGA Championship - 5 things we learned from Wells Fargo
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Published 14/05/2024 at 11:25 GMT
The PGA TOUR’s finest warmed up for the year’s second major at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow where Rory McIlroy claimed a dominant five-shot win to capture the latest signature event of the season and his 26th TOUR title. Here’s five things we learned from the latest PGA TOUR stop ahead of the upcoming PGA Championship that should be fascinating.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with the trophy after the final round of Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club on May 12, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Image credit: Getty Images
Rory McIlroy is on fire
Rory McIlroy made it two wins in his last two appearances with a dominant five-shot victory at Quail Hollow and in doing so reasserted himself as one of the game’s best players.
The stage appeared set fr a classic duel between McIlroy and his title rival Xander Schauffele but a blistering back nine from the Northern Irishman saw a close battle evolve into a rout.
It was his fourth win in the event, following victories in 2010, 2015 and 2021, and his 26th PGA TOUR title in total – and it came just a fortnight after he captured the Zurich Classic of New Orleans crown alongside Shane Lowry.
The victory was McIlroy’s first individual title on the PGA TOUR since the Genesis Scottish Open last July and his first individual title in the United States since THE CJ CUP in South Carolina in the autumn of 2022.
“I know what I’m capable of,” McIlroy said. “Whenever I fire on all cylinders, this is what I can produce.”
History beckons McIlroy
The sport’s elite will now switch their focus to the year’ next major – the PGA Championship – at Valhalla this coming week.
McIlroy will head to Louisville, Kentucky on the back of two successive victories - just as he did in 2014 when following success at The Open and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational he captured the PGA Championship title, the last of his four major victories.
“Going to a venue next week where I've won,” he said following his latest Wells Fargo success, “it feels like the stars are aligning a little bit.”
But McIlroy is wary of getting carried away and maybe aware that the otherwise dominant Scottie Scheffler, who has won four of his last five tournaments, will return to the fray having missed the Wells Fargo Championship to attend the birth of his first child.
“I need to stay in my own little world next week and not get too far ahead of myself,” he added, “but if you can step on to the first tee at Valhalla on Thursday and feel as good about my game as I did today, I think I'll have a good chance.”
Green Mile misery
The closing holes at Quail Hollow have always been considered one of the toughest stretches in pro golf and the latest staging of the Wells Fargo Championship reinforced that reputation.
The par-4 506-yard 16th, the par-3 190-yard 17th and the par-4 494-yard 18th have long frustrated the pros and entertained fans. Once again, they proved the toughest holes on the historic layout with all three playing over par during the tournament.
The testing 18th was statistically the hardest and served up 97 bogeys and 23 double bogeys or worse – and just 22 birdies. The short 17th proved even more troublesome for the 25 players who carded a double bogey or more.
Among those to struggle were Sahith Theegala who during Saturday’s third round stumbled to a bogey at the 16th, a double bogey at the 17th and a treble bogey at the 18th – a card-wrecking six-shot hammer-blow in the space of three holes.
Even eventual winner McIlroy was not immune and carded a double bogey six on his final visit to the 18th – but he had the luxury of several shots to play with.
PGA TOUR and LIV Golf drama drags on
While McIlroy was able to celebrate on the course, he was not so successful off it with his attempts to re-join the PGA TOUR policy board, and steer negotiations with the rival LIV Golf organisation, reportedly thwarted by his fellow pros.
McIlroy, who was a member of the board until he stepped away last November, was subject to a vote from board members that include Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson, who he hoped to replace. But he failed to gain enough support and subsequently revealed that a “subset” of board members were unhappy about his possible return.
However, McIlroy has since been appointed to the PGA TOUR’s ‘negotiation team’ with, among others, Woods and Scott, and tasked with working with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to see if there’s an opportunity for them to work together in the future.
Elsewhere, the hopes for a long-term peace deal were dealt another blow with the news that Jimmy Dunne, one of the architects of the original framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has resigned from the PGA TOUR’s policy board.
Sports Illustrated reported that Dunne wrote that, “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that ever since players took control of the board and negotiations, “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous”.
Homa can hole out
Max Homa is no stranger to success at the Wells Fargo Championship having won the tournament twice before – including his first TOUR win at Quail Hollow in 2019.
He claimed another top ten finish this week thanks largely to some stellar iron play – particularly during Sunday’s final round.
First, he conjured arguably the shot of the week at the par-4 1st where his 213-yard approach found the bottom of the cup for an eagle.
He then followed this up with a brilliant bunker hole-out on the notoriously difficult 16th on his way to a final round 69 and a T8 finish.
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