Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele traded blows early in the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship. However, the Northern Irishman continued to land body blows as the day progressed and landed a knockout punch on the 15th as he holed out for eagle.
McIlroy shot a 6-under 65 to win the Wells Fargo Championship with a five-stroke lead over Schauffele. He went from first place to seventh place in just about an hour. A double bogey on the 18th made things seem closer than they actually were. But that didn’t deprive McIlroy of his fourth win in Charlotte, which he achieved Sunday at Quail Hollow.
“I feel like these guys have watched me grow,” McIlroy said. “From winning here when I was 20 years old until I reached the ripe old age of 35…I was lucky to win here four times. This is one of my favorite places and how I’m looking forward to seeing how many we can get.”
When Schauffele made an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole, the four-time major champion was determined to take the tournament into his own hands.
He had two eagles and four birdies over the next eight holes, putting him at 8 under. The hole out from the 15th bunker was truly amazing. monumental shot.
The 26-time PGA Tour winner trailed one man heading into his final day at Quail Hollow. Schauffele has played very well most of this week, but McIlroy’s no-bogeys on Friday and Saturday gave him the momentum he needed to do well on Sunday.
He started the day with birdie number one alongside Schauffele, and his confidence only grew from there.
McIlroy finished the stretch at 8 under for holes 8 through 15, and Schauffele at even par. The 35-year-old gained 7.176 strokes on the field Sunday, including 3.907 on the putting green.
During the tournament, McIlroy led the field in tee shots and total strokes gained. He took 21.6 shots from the field. He ranked within the top eight in the remaining strokes gained categories.
He played perfect golf all week.
This week marks his second consecutive PGA Tour victory, following his win with Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans a few weeks ago.
“Shane has given me more confidence in New Orleans…I feel like my golf swing is easier than ever,” he said after his win. “I feel like the stars are aligning next week when I go to the place where I won…I have a lot of confidence going into the next major.”
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 have all won in recent starts en route to their second majors of the season, and the big boys are ready to take on the Bluegrass State. It turns out.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more information about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
