2024 PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy Clinches Title at Wells Fargo Championship

If one were to go by Xander Schauffele’s 54-hole lead going into Sunday, May 12, of the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, the odds would have favoured him — but then, in hot pursuit was Rory McIlroy, a man with some history of staging stunning rallies in this event.

The Quail Hollow Club was witness to one more such effort from the Northern Irishman as he went on a birdie and eagle-making spree to pull away from Schauffele for a five-shot win in this USD 20 million Signature event of the PGA Tour, which took place from May 9 to 12.

2024 Wells Fargo Championship: Rory McIlroy vs Xander Schauffele

Schauffele had an inkling when he said after finishing Saturday that he had be at his best to finish the job. “I’m going to have to earn it tomorrow (Sunday), I have Rory breathing down my neck.”

The way out was precise ball striking off the tee and sharp play on the greens, but letting the bogeys overpower the good work meant Schauffele’s level-par round of 71 was no match to McIlroy’s blistering show, which commenced from Hole 8.

Trailing by two shots when he arrived on the 8th green, McIlroy made birdie four times and eagled twice till Hole 15 to finish that prolific stretch at 8-under.

It was Schauffele’s eagle on the 7th that acted as a trigger for McIlroy.

“That was a big moment on 7. I three-putted, Xander made an eagle. Then Xander was inside me on 8, I knew I really needed to hole that putt just to try to stay or keep up with him. Then he missed his, I birdied mine and then I just went on a run that for whatever reason I’m able to go on at this Golf course,” said the champion.

It was Super Sunday for McIlroy with a 6-under 65, and a tournament total of 17-under 267 (67, 68, 67, 65). Closing with a double bogey did take some sheen off McIlroy’s putting show, but what mattered was the larger picture and the announcement that Quail Hollow was his turf.

Since the start of the 2010 season, McIlroy became the first player to win the Wells Fargo Championship or a PGA Tour event four times, and after Sunday, three of them have been come-from-behind efforts. In 2010, it was a rally from 4 back, 2 back in 2021, and 1 shot in 2024.

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What this means for McIlroy

The five-shot margin mirrors his growth as a player, and with his 26th PGA Tour win coming on the back of the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans title with countryman Shane Lowry, McIlroy couldn’t have asked for a better buildup to one more shot at Major glory as the Valhalla Golf Club throws open its gates for the 106th PGA Championship this week.

It was at Valhalla that the 35-year-old last won a Major Championship, the 2014 PGA Championship, and the omens are good as McIlroy takes aim at a third.

The Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational triumphs had played a part in the 2014 high at Valhalla, and with back-to-back wins this season, McIlroy’s words, “I feel I’m back where I need to be,” give an insight into the man eager to end a decade-long wait for one more Major title.

McIlroy’s arsenal is potent and ready to fire. “My golf swing feels a lot more comfortable than it has been. So going to a venue (Valhalla) where I’ve won, it feels like the stars are a lining a little bit. But I’ve got a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try to beat next week. Going into the next Major of the year feeling really good about myself.”

Amid the high, there was recollection — of a 20-year-old McIlroy playing the Well Fargo Championship for the first time as a wide-eyed youngster on the tee box.

Closer to time, it was a revisit to the quiet and trying phase leading to the redemption at Classic Zurich of New Orleans late last month.

McIlroy attributed it as technical. “I was missing a lot of shots left. Missing those shots left, not having full confidence in what I was doing with my swing, and that sort of bleeds into the rest of your Game. I’ve always said whenever I’m driving the ball well and hitting the ball well, it feeds into my short Game and my putting and I can get confidence from that. So, it just needed like a little spark, and getting that little spark in (Zurich Classic) New Orleans and getting the win there with Shane gave me a lot of confidence.”

McIlroy has ticked a lot of boxes since 2014, save notching another Major win. Now, armed with the confidence that he is a far better and consistent mover on the golf course than he was a decade ago, hope floats that his recent show is “good prep” going into a week like the PGA Championship.

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Schauffele a gracious runner-up

As a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour, it isn’t as if Xander Schauffele doesn’t know how to win. The gold medallist from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics had a record of converting two 54-hole leads out of seven occasions, and Schauffele looked good to add to the tally on Sunday till the fateful Hole 7. Little did he know that making eagle would lead McIlroy to break into a sprint, to which Schauffele had no answer.

All he had was admiration. “You take a step back, yeah. He’s Rory McIlroy, you know? He hits it 350 yards in the air downwind and he has shorter clubs into firm greens than anyone else. When he’s on, he’s on. Hats off to him for winning. He played unbelievably well,” said Schauffele.

Despite some incredible iron play this week, Schauffele missed out on what could have been his career’s first wire-to-wire win, and that’s food for thought.

It was the short Game, and will be his focus of attention going into Valhalla. “Overall, I just need to clean up my short Game, it’s always been a deciding factor whether I win a tournament or not, sort of a trigger stat for me, and it definitely hurt me today (Sunday),” Schauffele said on the 12-under 272 finish.

Relentless Byeong Hun An

Ever since regaining his PGA Tour card in 2022, Korea’s Byeong Hun An is a man on a mission. The time away from Tour left him hungrier, and his show thus far in 2024 indicates that a victory isn’t far off.

For the second time this season, An posted a top-three finish (he lost the playoff at the Sony Open in January), and the sole third in a field as deep as Well Fargo is huge validation of the work away from the public eye.

Under-par on all days, An signed with his week’s best card on Sunday, a 5-under 66, and his affinity for a golf course like Quail Hollow showed up. Right up the list in strokes gained at putting, An goes into the PGA Championship feeling good with the final score of 9-under 275.

“My Game felt good all week. I drove the ball really well, putted actually pretty good, I saved a lot of pars out there. It wasn’t playing easy as the scores (show). I had a shaky start, but I grinded my way through and I made some birdies on the way in,” said the 32-year-old An.

Jason Day’s retro look

Former World No 1 Jason Day’s search for the 14th win on the PGA Tour continues, and when it does come about, the T4 at the Wells Fargo Championship will find a mention and the role it played in the Australian’s road back from a spate of injuries and heartburn.

Sunday was Day’s best result this season, and while finishing up the leaderboard is no surprise, Day drew more comments for his on-course appearance.

Dressed in outfits that seemed a throwback to the 1990s and 2000s, Day turned up as the ambassador of Malbon Golf, a brand founded in 2017, and inspired by golf.

Day’s retro look, the baggy pants and soft-hued shirts triggered a debate, but the Golfer didn’t seem to bother, as in interviews through the week, he spoke about how the loose fit was an attraction.

“It’s been nice to be able to wear some stuff that looks a little different to the norm out here,” Day told Golf Channel. “Whether you like it or not is totally your opinion.”

(Main and featured images: Rory McIlroy/ Instagram)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who won the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship?

With a final score of 17-under 267 and a five-shot margin, Rory McIlroy won the Wells Fargo Championship for the fourth time after 2010, 2015 and 2021.

How much prize money did Rory McIlroy win?

One of the eight Signature events on the PGA Tour, the Wells Fargo Championship offers a prize pool of USD 20 million, and as winner, Rory McIlroy took home USD 3.6 million and 700 FedExCup points.

How many times has Rory McIlroy won in 2024?

After triumphing at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with teammate Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy posted a back-to-back win at the Wells Fargo Championship.