Wells Fargo Championship Final Leaderboard
-10 R McIlroy (NI), -9 A Ancer (Mex); -8 V Hovland (Nor), K Mitchell (US); -7 G Woodland (US); -5 L List (US), P Reed (US), M Wallace (Eng); -4 B DeChambeau (US), A Wise (US)
Selected others: -3 B Watson (USA); -2 T Fleetwood (England), X Schauffele (USA); -1 R Knox (Sco); Level J Thomas (USA); +4 S Power (Ire); +6 S Lowry (Ire); +7 P Mickelson (US) Complete Leaderboard
Rory McIlroy says relief and satisfaction were the predominant emotions as he finished his unbeaten race by winning the Wells Fargo Championship in Quail Hollow for the third time – just six weeks after starting work with coach Pete Cowen.
The world’s number 15, whose most recent success came in November 2019, shot in the final three-to-68 for a one-shot win.
“The relief that I won again … and more satisfaction with the journey I’m in and the process I went through to try to get back to this point,” he said.
“There was a lot of hard work. I lowered my head, I really didn’t look too much either way, I was just trying to do what I needed to do.
“It’s obviously a huge boost of confidence when I know that my game is closer than it was. I can make holes in everything I’ve done today, it’s certainly far from perfect, but it’s a confirmation that I’m on the right track. ways. “
There was a scare for McIlroy, 32, at the final hole when he took a one-shot penalty but made a decisive bogey.
Abraham Anser finished second with Victor Hovland and night leader Keith Mitchell in a third-place eighth-place draw.
The win is perfect preparation for McIlroy’s bid to win the third USPGA Championship later this month, with the Ryder Cup player looking to secure a second success on Kiawa Island.
Good start in Charlotte
He started the day two shots behind Mitchell, but finished first with birdie, his second in the round, in seventh, and then split the lead – first with Gary Woodland, then with Mitchell and Ensser.
Birds at 14 and 15 saw the four-time top winner go two clean, but he pulled out his last disc and was lucky the ball landed in danger two feet from the stream.
McIlroy’s caddy Harry Diamond nonetheless encouraged him to drop the penalty, which proved to be a wise move when he then hit green with his eight and two hits to win.
“I was ready to go in there and try to play this game with a frontal wedge, and he said something like, ‘Let’s take a step back, let’s think about this, where is the best place from where you hit the third time,” said McIlroy.
“So he kind of calmed me down, slowed down a bit and said, ‘Buddy, let’s just think about it a little bit.”
Improved performance was key to winning the 19th PGA Tour win, and McIlroy missed six feet in all four rounds.
This is a timely kick-start for McIlroy, who has dipped to his lowest world rankings since 2009 and started the tournament 51st on the FedEx Cup standings.
McIlroy believes that the return of viewers after the Covid-19 ban helped him to win in North Carolina.
“The world is completely different from what it used to be, when everyone was experiencing a pandemic,” he told CBS.
“Life has changed a lot for me now that I became a dad and won Mother’s Day thinking about Eric and my mom at home.
I am of course glad that the crowds are back and I am glad that I was able to do my job in an atmosphere like today.
“And I’m looking forward to playing in front of such a crowd.
“It was an amazing experience to feel it again this weekend.”
