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The last time Rory McIlroy hoisted a major championship trophy was at the 2014 PGA Championship at famed Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, which just happens to be the site of this year’s PGA Championship.
And given the way Rory has played recently, the rest of the field should be terrified.
Heading into the final 36 holes of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, McIlroy had some work to do to pick up a second straight PGA Tour victory, as Xander Schauffele was dialed in and held a four-shot lead.
While some might say Schauffele buckled a bit, shooting 70-71 over the final two days after opening with rounds of 64 and 67, it was more that McIlroy took control of the tournament. Rory played solid golf the first two days, keeping himself in the mix with rounds of 67 and 68.
Another strong round of 67 on Saturday, May 11, inched Rory closer to the lead, and on Sunday, May 12, he simply dominated, firing a 6-under 65 to cruise to a five-shot victory.
“Yeah, I’m feeling really good with my game,” McIlroy said, according to PGATour.com. “I need to stay in my own little world next week and not get too far ahead of myself, but if you can step on to the first tee at Valhalla on Thursday and feel as good about my game as I did today, I think I’ll have a good chance.”
Rory McIlroy Shot 8-Under in 8 Holes to Take Control of the Wells Fargo Championship
Playing a course where he’s won three times before, McIlroy, coming off a win at the Zurich Classic with Shane Lowry, got off to a great start in his final round, making birdie at the first to pull himself even with Schauffele atop the leaderboard.
But just six holes later, he found himself two behind as Schauffele eagled the par-5 seventh while McIlroy three-putted for par. But it was all Rory from there.
After making birdies at the eighth and ninth, the world’s second-ranked player drained a 34-foot putt for eagle at the 10th to take the lead. After pars at 11 and 12, he then birdied the 13th and 14th holes to extend his advantage. And when he holed out from a greenside bunker at the par-5 15th for a second eagle, it was over as he’d gone 8-under in his last eight holes.
McIlroy made pars at 16 and 17 and had such a commanding lead that his double-bogey at the par-4 18th didn’t matter. Schauffele played well enough to take solo second by three shots but is now just two-for-eight when holding a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
Rory was naturally ecstatic to get a fourth win at Quail Hollow, which is also where he notched his first-ever PGA Tour victory back in 2010.
“Quail Hollow, Charlotte in general, has been really good to me over my career, and this is just another great day to sort of add to all the rest of them,” McIlroy said. “I feel like these people have sort of watched me grow up from winning here as a 20-year-old to being the ripe old age of 35 now. They’ve sort of seen my progression throughout my career, and I’ve been lucky enough to win here four times.”
McIlroy’s Last Major Win Came at Valhalla, Site of the 2024 PGA Championship
McIlroy will now turn his attention to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, which, as mentioned, was the site of his most recent major championship victory.
Just as he will this week, Rory entered that week riding a two-tournament winning streak as he came to Valhalla riding victories at The Open Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
After opening that week with a 5-under round of 66 at Jack Nicklaus’ famed layout, he then shot a 4-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the weekend. McIlroy’s lead remained at one after 54 holes following a second straight 67, and that was also his final margin of victory, as he held off a strong charge from Phil Mickelson to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2008 to win three straight tournaments.
While world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is deservedly the betting favorite at the ’24 PGA, going off at +450 according to BetMGM, Rory McIlroy is just behind in the second spot at +750.
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