Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele exchanged blows early during the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship. But the Northern Irishman delivered body blows as the day progressed, and landed the knockout punch on 15 when he holed out for eagle.
McIlroy fired off a 6-under 65 to win the Wells Fargo Championship by five shots over Schauffele. He went from one back to seven up in the matter of just over an hour. A double-bogey finish on 18 made things look closer than they really were. But that did not take away what McIlroy accomplished Sunday at Quail Hollow to claim his fourth win in Charlotte.
“I feel like these people have watched me grow up,” McIlroy said. “From winning here as a 20-year-old, to be the ripe old age of 35 now… I’ve been lucky enough to win four times here. It’s one of my favorite stops of the year, and I can’t wait to see how many I can get.”
When Schauffele made eagle on the par-5 7th, the 4-time major winner decided to take the tournament into his own hands.
He went 8-under through his next eight holes with two eagles and four birdies. That hole-out from the bunker on 15 was such a monumental shot.
The 26-time PGA Tour winner trailed by one heading into the final day of play at Quail Hollow. Schauffele played exceptionally well most of the week, but McIlroy going bogey-free Friday and Saturday set him up with the momentum needed to do something great on Sunday.
He started his day with a birdie on 1 to tie Schauffele, and from there, the confidence only grew.
McIlroy went 8-under on holes 8-15 while Schauffele finished that stretch at even par. The 35-year-old gained 7.176 strokes on the field Sunday and picked up 3.907 of those on the putting green.
During the tournament, McIlroy led the field in strokes gained off the tee and in total. He picked up 21.6 shots on the field. The rest of the strokes gained categories saw him ranked inside the top 8.
He played flawless golf all week.
This week marked his second straight PGA Tour win after he won with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans a few weeks ago.
“I got some confidence in New Orleans with Shane… my golf swing feels more comfortable than it has been,” he said after the win. “Going to a place I have won at next week, it feels like the stars are aligning… Going into the next major, I have a lot of confidence.”
He will head to Valhalla Golf Club, where he won his last major championship in 2014, for the PGA Championship. He, Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka all have wins in their most recent starts heading into the season’s second major, so the big boys will be ready for a battle in the Bluegrass State.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
