Rory McIlroy played well at the Wells Fargo Championship on Saturday. He had a bogey-free round for the second day in a row and finished with a 4-under 67, moving his total to 11 under for the tournament.
The Northern Irishman still trails Xander Schauffele by one stroke, but has cut that gap to three and is in contention for his second consecutive PGA Tour event victory.
McIlroy had two birdies on the front and two birdies on the back in Saturday’s round.
This season, he has been up and down in tournaments. The four-time major champion will play well but will make some stupid mistakes in the round.
“I think I held up pretty well for the most part inside 6 feet, and I know this golf course so well that I think when I missed the green, I missed it in the right place,” McIlroy said. . . “Yeah, it’s kind of tough to play two rounds in a row without a bogey on this golf course in these conditions. I’m very proud of that.”
Quail Hollow is a special place for McIlroy. He won his PGA Tour event at this venue for the first time, and in 2010 he set a course record of 62.
The 25-time PGA Tour winner had two more wins at this historic course. He broke his own 18-hole score record with a 61 in 2015 and set a tournament record of 21 under that same year. His third victory came in 2021.
McIlroy may know the course, but his play this year has fluctuated. But he appears to be building a level of consistency in 2024 that he hasn’t been able to achieve before.
Through three days of play, he earned a 5.390 shot with his driver, leading him in strokes gained off the tee. He also posted a 5.130 stroke over the field and finished third in strokes gained approaches to the green.
In the third round alone, the Florida resident picked up three strokes off the tee.
“I was able to lean on my driver a lot and drive the ball really well. It’s a continuation of what I felt in New Orleans.” – Rory McIlroy
R1: +0.80 SG on the tee shot
R2: +1.67
R3: +3.03 (!!)— Mark Fox (@ThePluggedLie) May 11, 2024
After The Players, McIlroy visited Butch Harmon, which seemed to help him figure out what was wrong with his swing. He claims that his win against Shane Lowry in New Orleans, especially the success of the big stick, proved beneficial.
“It’s a direct result of the emotions I felt in New Orleans a few weeks ago,” he said. “A lot of what Butch and I worked on was iron play and wedges. On the drive, we focus on hitting small cuts off the tee and being free to play. Every time we hit a good tee shot, My confidence increases and I want to keep hitting.”
His driving average this week is 341 yards. Simply put, McIlroy is increasing his distance off the tee.
He played very well this week in areas where he was having seizures. McIlroy trails Schauffele by one, and is three behind third place, aiming for his 26th PGA Tour win and his fourth at Quail Hollow.
Schauffele has also been playing well this week and should be a battle from the opening tee on Sunday.
Is McIlroy’s game peaking at the perfect time, ahead of the PGA Championship, where the 35-year-old aims to end his drought?
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
