After Rory McIlroy's course-record 61 during round three of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was clear he was in the driver's seat to win the tournament. And that's what happened.
McIlroy finished 21-under par for the event and earned his second victory of the 2014-2015 PGA season. The 26-year-old went 38 straight holes without a bogey, which started on the 18th hole during the first round and finally ended on the second hole of his final round. He finished with a final-round three-under 69 and seven strokes ahead of Webb Simpson and Patrick Rodgers, both of whom tied for second place.
The No. 1 golfer in the world walked away with $1,278,000 in earnings and 500 FedEx Cup points following the win. It was McIlroy's second victory in the past two weeks, with the other coming at the WGC Match Play event at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, CA.
However, Quail Hollow was no unfamiliar place for McIlroy - he captured his first PGA Tour victory at the Quail Hollow Championship back in May of 2010 when he shot 15-under par. It seemed as if he felt that win was more exciting than his most recent.
"Sort of boring, really," he said of his 11th PGA Tour victory, via GolfChannel.com. "In terms of there wasn't as much excitement on the back nine. I finished with six 3s the last time I won here. Would have been nice to finish with six 3s again."
The Northern Irishman led Simpson by four strokes entering the final round and it never really remained close. Simpson started the day one-over on the first nine holes to put McIlroy ahead by six strokes heading into the back-nine. In similar fashion, Rodgers started off the back-nine five-under through his first seven holes, but then faltered on the final two with a double bogey and a bogey to relinquish his sole possession of second place. Simpson pared his final three holes to tie Rodgers.
McIlroy also set a tournament record with 27 birdies throughout the four rounds of play, which concluded on the 16th hole on Sunday when he tapped in a three-foot birdie putt to extend the lead to four shots over Rodgers. His spectacular consistent play never gave others in the field much of a chance after the third round.
"I feel like I'm a more controlled player these days. I've learned how to finish things off," McIlroy added, via ESPN.
Four tournaments remain before the US Open kicks off on June 18th. McIlroy hopes to carry his momentum and grab his second-career victory at the major event and his fifth overall.
