CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rory McIlroy was hoping to make it to the weekend in the Wells Fargo Championship to continue the process of trying to find his lost form.
Instead, he ended a winless drought of just over 550 days by looking like the Rory of old, especially on a Quail Hollow course he seems to own.
With a final-round, 3-under-par 68 Sunday, McIlroy finished at 10-under 274 for a one-shot victory over Abraham Ancer. McIlroy, armed with a two-shot lead heading to the 72nd hole, nearly drove his tee shot into a creek, took a penalty drop due to a brutal lie, knocked his ball onto the green from 200 yards out of the rough and then two-putted from 44 feet to win for the third time at Quail Hollow.
It was McIlroy’s 19th PGA Tour title and first as a father.
Wells Fargo Championship: Leaderboard | Photos
“It’s never easy to win out here,” McIlroy said. “It felt like a long time since I won. It just feels awesome. This is one of my favorite places in the world.”
Adding to his emotional win was it coming on Mother’s Day, and McIlroy was clearly moved as he saluted his wife, Erica, and mother, Rose, just after his winning putt dropped.
McIlroy also was very appreciative of the roars returning to golf as he struggled to play in the silence of the COVID-19 world. After he finished play on the 18th hole, he was serenaded with loud chants of, “Rory! Rory! Rory!”
“I thought I’d like the peace and quiet when we returned but I missed the crowds,” he said. “I feed off the energy so much.”
Ancer came charging with a final-round 66. Overnight leader Keith Mitchell (72) and Viktor Hovland (67) finished two shots back to share third. Gary Woodland (71), who said he hit rock bottom last week in the Valspar Championship due to issues with his hip, was solo fifth.
Bryson DeChambeau, who flew back to his home in Dallas on Friday after thinking he missed the cut, instead jetted back east after making the cut on the number and shot 68-68 on the weekend to move into a tie for ninth place.
McIlroy, who turned 32 on Tuesday, hadn’t made it to the weekend in his last three starts, including in the Masters and Players Championship. His struggles since the PGA Tour returned to play last June after a 13-week break due to the COVID-19 global pandemic – he had just six top-10s in 21 starts – had dropped him to 15th in the official world rankings – his worst rank since 2009.
McIlroy recently brought noted swing coach Pete Cowen on board while staying with longtime coach Michael Bannon to help him sort through swing issues.
McIlroy said he grinded the last three weeks and felt really good about his iron play when he arrived here. He also has eschewed his former bread-and-butter draw with the driver in favor of hitting fades with his biggest weapon. McIlroy still got the best of rugged Quail Hollow off the tee and overpowered some holes at times.
Playing in the final pairing for the first time since the 2020 Genesis Invitational, McIlroy started the day two shots behind Mitchell, who stretched his lead to three with a birdie on the first.
But McIlroy birdied the third and grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the seventh. He grabbed the outright lead with a birdie on the 14th and went up two with a birdie on the 15th.
And then he survived the final hole.
McIlroy’s affinity for Quail Hollow continues to grow. This is the first tournament he’s won three times – he has multiple victories in the PGA Championship, Tour Championship and Dell Technologies Championship.
McIlroy won his first PGA Tour title here in 2010, added another in 2015, lost in a playoff in 2012 and had four other top-10s in nine starts heading into this week.