It was an ugly finish, but a win is a win. Controversial golf star Rory McIlroy finally ended his career tailspin with a win at Wells Fargo Championship.
The 32-year-old Northern Irishman posted a final-round 68 to claim a two-stroke victory over Abraham Ancer.
McIlroy finished his Sunday round at the Quail Hollow Club with a near disaster of a final hole, but escaped with just a bogey to sign off on a four-day score of 11-under par.
The win was McIlroy’s first since claiming the 2019 title at the WGC event in Communist China.
Pro-File
Nationality: Northern Ireland
Height: 5′ 8″
Weight: 175 lb
Birthdate: May 4, 1989 (age 32)
Native: Holywood, County Down, N.I.
Resides: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Primary Sponsor: Nike
Equipment: Taylormade
Final Top 5
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Rory McIlroy -11 (-3)
2. Abraham Ancer -9 (-5)
3. Viktor Hovland -8 (-4)
3. Keith Mitchell -8 (+1)
5. Gary Woodland -7 (E)
Top-5 Payouts
Pos-Player (Winnings)
1. Rory McIlroy ($1,458,000)
2. Abraham Ancer ($882,900)
3. Viktor Hovland ($477,900)
3. Keith Mitchell ($477,900)
5. Gary Woodland ($332,100)
Early Rounds
Round 1
Pos-Player-To Par
1. Phil Mickelson -7 (64)
2. Keegan Bradley -6 (65)
2. Kyoung-Hoon Lee -6 (65)
73. Rory McIlroy +1 (72)
Round 2
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 2)
1. Matt Wallace -6 (-4)
1. Patrick Rodgers -6 (-3)
1. Gary Woodland -6 (-2)
5. Rory McIlroy -4 (-5)
Round 3
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 3)
1. Keith Mitchell -9 (-5)
2. Rory McIlroy -7 (-3)
2. Gary Woodland -7 (-1)
Rory McIlroy’s Winning Numbers
Topline Stats:
Distance: 324.4 yards (2nd)
Fairways: 19/56, 33.9% (T149)
Greens: 54/72, 75.0% (T3)
Putts/GIR: 1.741 (31st)
Strokes Gained:
Off Tee: 2.295 (18th)
Approach Green: 5.269 (10th)
Around Green: 0.252 (41st)
Putting: 6.945 (3rd)
Tee to Green: 7.816 (9th)
Total: 14.761 (1st)
WITB: Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy plays a full bag of Taylormade golf gear, from a SIM2 driver down to a TP5X golf ball. His clothes are made in China by Nike.
Driver: TM SIM2 (9°)
Fairway: TM SIM (19°)
Irons: TM P730 Rors Proto (3-9)
Gap Wedge: TM Milled Grind (48°)
Wedges: TM Milled Grind 2 TW (56°, 60°)
Putter: TM Spider X Hydro Blast
Ball: TM TP5X #22
Hat/Apparel: Nike of China
McIlroy’s 2020-21 PGA Tour Season
The victory earned McIlroy $1,458,000 and 500 FedExCup points. He will move to No. 12 on the money list and 17th in the points standings. Additionally, he earned 60 OWGR points and will crack the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Starts: 12
Cuts Made: 9
Wins: 1 (Wells Fargo)
Addtl Top 10s: 4
Money: $3,236,342 (12th)
FedExCup: 1,073 (17th)
World Rank Before/After: 15/7
McIlroy’s Career Victories
PGA Tour: 19
2021 Wells Fargo Championship (3)
2019 WGC-HSBC Champions
2019 TOUR Championship
2019 RBC Canadian Open
2019 PLAYERS Championship
2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational
2016 Tour Championship
2016 Deutsche Bank Championship (2)
2015 Wells Fargo Championship (2)
2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play
2014 PGA Championship (2)
2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
2014 The Open Championship
2012 BMW Championship
2012 Deutsche Bank Championship
2012 PGA Championship
2012 The Honda Classic
2011 U.S. Open
2010 Quail Hollow Championship
European Tour (Pure): 7
2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic
2015 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai
2014 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
2012 DP World Tour Championship
2011 UBS Hong Kong Open
2009 Dubai Desert Classic
Question For Rory McIlroy
Q: Obviously today’s Mother’s Day. We got to see you embrace with your wife and your daughter. Obviously extremely special to have them here to see you reenter the winner’s circle.
RORY McILROY: Yeah, really cool. For it to be Erica’s first Mother’s Day and for her to be here with Poppy, really, really cool.
It was hard for me not to think of that coming down the last few holes and how cool that would be to see them at the back of the 18th green, but I had more pressing issues at the time, so it was pretty easy to get it out of my head.
Really cool for them to be here and to be able to celebrate today.
Wells Fargo Championship Leaderboard
Final Cash Payouts, Scores, and Points
Credit: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
