Red hot Rory McIlroy storms to fourth Quail Hollow title

Blistering back nine sees McIlroy claim Wells Fargo Championship by five strokes

Rory McIlroy celebrates with the trophy after winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. Photograph: Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
Rory McIlroy celebrates with the trophy after winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. Photograph: Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy is like a living, walking ATM machine on the PGA Tour at the moment, as he headed into this week’s US PGA Championship – in his quest for a fifth career Major title – with another win on his CV.

The 35-year-old Northern Irishman cruised to victory in the Wells Fargo Championship, pocketing a payday of $3.6 million for the signature event after producing a final round masterclass for 17 holes, only an overhit approach into the creek on the closing hole resulting in a double bogey six providing a bite of reality. It didn’t matter by then.

McIlroy fired a closing round 65 for a total of 17-under-par 267, five shots clear of Xander Schauffele who finished his week’s work with a level par 71. South Korea’s Ben An finished in solo third, eight shots behind McIlroy.

A fortnight after partnering Shane Lowry to victory in the Zurich Classic, McIlroy claimed a 26th career win on the PGA Tour and a fourth Wells Fargo title.

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McIlroy started out a shot adrift of 54-hole leader Schauffele, the Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo, and trailed him by two strokes through seven holes of the final round. Thereafter, McIlroy took control with a scintillating demonstration of a golf game – with his driver the key club in overpowering the course and Schauffele – in prime condition, while Schauffele’s putter went AWOL.

A birdie from 12 feet on the eighth and 10 feet on the ninth enabled McIlroy to turn in 33 strokes but the real fireworks came on a homeward run that included two eagles as he raced further and further away from Schauffele.

The first of those eagles came on the Par 5 10th where he hit a drive of 367 yards into the first cut of rough and hit his approach to 35 feet and sank the putt. Then, he hit the afterburners to race clear: on the Par 3 13th, McIlroy hit his tee shot to 14 feet and rolled in the birdie putt, followed with a birdie from five feet on the 14th after reaching a greenside bunker with his drive on the 316 yards Par 4, and then holed-out a bunker shot for eagle on the Par 5 15th.

McIlroy returns to Valhalla in Kentucky – the scene of his 2014 US PGA win – for the season’s second Major, starting on Thursday, with back-to-back wins on tour. “I really got some confidence from New Orleans, winning with Shane,” he explained.

Séamus Power finished with a 70 for 283 in tied-16th that moved him up 11 places to 62nd on the FedEx Cup standings, while Shane Lowry closed with a 72 for 291 in tied-47th after a double bogey-bogey finish on the final two holes.

On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire shot a final round 69 for six-under-par 282 in tied-12th (winning $45,871) at the Cognizant Founders tournament where 20-year-old American Rose Zhang claimed a second career win with a closing 64 for 264, two shots clear of Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom.

Nelly Korda’s winning streak was brought to an end as the American – winner of her five previous outings on the LPGA – had to settle for tied-seventh.

Philip Reid

Philip Reid

Philip Reid is Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times