Golf is just better when Rory McIlroy is winning.
The two-time FedExCup champion busted free from a win drought some 553 days in the making to claim a third Wells Fargo Championship and 19th PGA TOUR win with a nervy, but ultimately clutch, bogey on the final hole.
It was his first win as a father, on Mother’s Day, and brought with it a special emotional response. And I have to give props to my colleague Cameron Morfit who might struggle in PGA TOUR fantasy from week to week – but who went in print pre-tournament with this predicted winner.
“Rory McIlroy. He’ll figure it out eventually, and what better place than Quail Hollow?”
What better place indeed. And what better timing with the PGA Championship a fortnight away at Kiawah Island where he destroyed the competition in 2012.
Here are five stories you may have missed from Quail Hollow.
1. Return of the Rors.
It had to happen eventually so it makes sense that it did at Quail Hollow – and right as a return trip to Kiawah Island approaches.
Rory McIlroy showed that even without his best golf he’s still a born winner. Forget that it had been a year and a half since he had won on the PGA TOUR. Forget that he seemed lost just a few months ago. When the moment came, and adversity struck, deep down inside McIlroy found his true self.
After losing his tee shot on the 72nd hole into a penalty area McIlroy had to find a way to win. It would have been easy to implode as many have on Quail’s final hole but he conjured up the strength to find the green after a penalty and two-putt from distance to win.
With a 19th PGA TOUR win – and third at Quail Hollow – McIlroy moved to 39th on the all-time win list with Ben Crenshaw, Ernie Els, Doug Ford, Hubert Green, Tom Kite and Bill Mehlhorn.
Having dropped to his lowest world ranking (15th) since 2009 leading into the tournament McIlroy moved up to seventh with the win and to 17th in the FedExCup.
It was a blend of power and putting this week. McIlroy hit 54 of 56 drives over 300 yards (one of two players to hit 50 or more drives over 300 when no player had hit 50 or more drives over 300 yards in an event prior this season) And it was fitting that he capped off the win with a short, but not gimme putt, of 2-feet, 4-inches. He was the only player in the field perfect from inside six feet all week making 52 of 52.
Get great insight into the drought-breaking triumph here.
2. Keith Mitchell is in sneaky form.
Conventional wisdom is that Keith Mitchell’s performance at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club, where he shot a final-round 72 to finish T4, came out of the blue.
He admitted he never really got going again after the PGA TOUR resumed last June and came into the Wells Fargo at 134th in the FedExCup, 249th in the world.
Oh, and he also had just posted a final-round 82 at the Valspar Championship.
So he wasn’t playing very well, right? Wrong.
“I haven’t played with him a lot lately, but I’ve played with people who have,” said J.T. Poston (71, even par), who was Mitchell’s roommate and still sees him often as a fellow resident of Sea Island, Georgia.
“I played with Brandt Snedeker the first two rounds at the Valspar last week and he got talking about the Zurich Classic the week before, when they were teammates. He said that if it was an individual event, Keith would have won by 10, but he felt like he held him back.” (Team Mitchell/Snedeker tied for fourth.)
Oh, and about that 82? It was the result of a bent putter, Mitchell learned early in the week of the Wells Fargo – his TaylorMade Spider had somehow been knocked out of alignment. When the guys in the truck bent it back true, he putted just fine in Charlotte.
He was also No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee through 54 holes. “It sounds like his ball-striking is back,” Poston said, “and whenever he gets a hot putter, he’s pretty hard to beat.” – Cameron Morfit
3. Bryson DeChambeau took the FedExCup lead despite flying home Friday after assuming he missed the cut.
Having lost the FedExCup lead to Justin Thomas a week earlier DeChambeau was pretty annoyed with himself on Friday when a late stumble saw him finish with a 3-over 74 and at 2 over for the tournament he sat – at the time – well outside the cut line.
So he flew home to Texas.
But as winds picked up at Quail Hollow Friday afternoon so did the scores and by round end DeChambeau was still in the tournament which necessitated a wild change in travel plans to get back for Saturdays third round.
After a hectic round trip he found form on the weekend and a pair of 68s saw him log a T9 finish and return to the top of the season long standings as Thomas finished T26.
“I wanted to make it worth it,” he said. “I didn't want to come out here and finish 60-whatever, close to last. Even at that, it's still FedExCup points, it's still world ranking points. I was pleased to have come back and finished… The goal is obviously to be No. 1 and I want to be at the Olympics, so we'll keep moving forward in the right direction.”
4. Abe’s still searching for the Ancer… but he’s close.
Abraham Ancer came within a shot of a playoff as he once again fell agonizingly short of a maiden PGA TOUR win. But in this case he was a surprise Sunday contender given he sat five off the pace midway through the final round.
But Mexico’s highest ranked player threw down five birdies in his last 10 holes, including a string of three from 15-17, to give McIlroy something to think about.
It once again highlights the talents of the man who many believe to be the best on TOUR without a win to his name. It was also great for International Presidents Cup captain Trevor Immelman to witness as Ancer should be a huge part of his team in the 2022 Cup to be played at Quail Hollow.
“I was losing (patience) on the front nine. I was really frustrated because I was getting a lot of looks and I knew it had to take something special today to get it done. I had the looks and I wasn't making anything, but stayed patient, kept hitting it good and told myself they're going to start dropping and thankfully they did at the end,” Ancer said.
“I wish I would have made all of them on the front nine now, but I'm playing really good and it's hard to complain. It gets me pumped up knowing I'm performing well on golf courses that are big venues. You've got to hit it out there. Kiawah's just a couple weeks from now and that's a big golf course as well. I'm pretty pumped to see how my game stacks up out there. This gives me a lot of confidence, for sure.
“I enjoy being in the hunt and I like looking at the leaderboard and seeing my name up there and I'm not like, oh, my God, I have a chance, and you maybe get a little bit more nervous. I know I can look at a leaderboard now and see where I am and I know if I make a couple birdies, I feel the confidence of doing that and I feel comfortable.”
5. Gary Woodland is finding his way back.
For the casual golf fan seeing Gary Woodland’s name in the lead at a tournament would clearly not be a surprise. The former U.S. Open winner has a resume many would die for.
But given the injuries and subsequent drop in form he’s had over the last 18 months or so it was refreshing to see him in the mix on a Sunday again.
Ultimately Woodland would give up his piece of the lead with back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes and finish in fifth place, his second top-10 in his last four starts. Prior to a T6 at the Valero Texas Open last month his previous top-10 was the 2020 Workday Charity Open.
“It’s a little frustrating. I was happy with the way I played, I gave myself a lot of chances, just didn't score. But I drove the ball beautifully again. Iron play's continuing to get better, putting, short game, everything's pretty good. So excited about my game. Frustrated with today, but excited about my game and excited about the rest of the year,” he said afterwards.
Monday Finish: Five things from Wells Fargo Championship - pgatour.com
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