UPDATED
(828newsNOW) —
Rory McIlroy could have been called Rocket McIlroy the way he rocketed to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday to win in convincing fashion at the Wells Fargo Championship.
It was McIlroy’s fourth title at Quail Hollow Country Club in Charlotte.
McIlroy was in the zone all day with a signature performance winning it by 5 strokes over Xander Schauffele.
At one point McIlroy was 8 under over 8 holes during the round.
At the age of 35, Rory wins his 26th PGA TOUR title in his 248th career start, tying Henry Picard for 22nd on the all time PGA TOUR wins list.
When asked what this win means to him, McIlroy said “I don’t know what’s more unbelievable, winning a PGA TOUR event for the fourth time or getting my 26th. Whenever I sort of hit some of these milestones or do these things, I always think back to, for example, like 20‑year‑old me playing in this tournament for the first time. Anytime things like this happen I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that I have the opportunity to do what I do. I was able to play good enough golf today to take advantage of that opportunity.”
Wells Fargo GolfMcIlroy will roll into the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville next weekend where he beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke to win The PGA the last time it was held there in 2014.
McIlroy surged past Schauffele in the final round, and built a five-stroke lead through 14 holes.
It was a turnaround since Saturday, when Schauffele lived in the sand on the back nine but escaped the third round with a one stroke lead over three-time champ McIlroy.
It was a gutsy performance by Schauffele on Saturday.
As he said after the third round, “I’m going to have to earn it on Sunday. I’ve got Rory breathing down my neck. I think if I strike the ball the way I did today off the tee and have just a little more focus coming into the greens, picking the spots and then going through my process a little better, I should be in good shape.” Schauffele said.
McIlroy was the only player who shot a bogey-free round on Saturday. “To play two rounds in a row on this golf course in these conditions bogey free is a bit of a feather in my cap,” McIlroy said. “I’m pretty proud of that.”
Schauffele has gone 38 tournaments without a win on the PGA Tour. He was paired with McIlroy in Sunday’s final round.
McIlroy is in the final group in the final round for the first time since the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open which he won.
Schauffele is in the final group at the Wells Fargo Championship for the second consecutive year where he finished second to Wyndham Clark last year.
AN UPDATED LEADERBOARD is HERE for Sunday’s final round.
