Rory McIlroy He hopes his victory with Shane Lowry two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic pairing will serve as a springboard for the rest of the season. And the truth is that the Briton started on the right foot in his goal to add a record fourth title to Wells Fargo Championshipopening the tournament with a 67 (-4) that put him three hits off leader Xander Schauffele. Collin Morikawa and Alex Noren also shot 67s, and Justin Thomas led the pack with a 68.
The Quail Hollow course is McIlroy’s favorite. In 2010 he closed with a 62 with six consecutive ‘3’s on his card to win his first PGA Tour title. The golfer from Northern Ireland repeated the win in 2015, breaking the tournament record with 21 under par (267 strokes) after setting the course record with 61 in the third round. And he added his third title in 2021.
“I’ve always had a great affinity for this place. Playing in front of these fans, I feel like Charlotte has accepted me as one of them. It’s been a great journey. I think I’ve celebrated 13 on my last 15 birthdays here, because it’s obviously when the tournament goes down these are incredible memories and of course I want to bring them back,” said Rory.
The only other player to win the Wells Fargo Championship multiple times is Max Homa, champion in 2019 and 2022, the latter in Potomac (Maryland). Homa overcame a difficult start but managed to shoot 69 (-2).
Schauffele, world no. Since the 2022 Masters, the Californian hasn’t missed a cut. Very solid and very consistent, the leader had a stroke of luck on his penultimate hole of the day, the 8th. unplayable forest. . He was very fortunate that, in his minimum playing window, he ran into a Shotlink tower and that allowed him to extricate himself from a situation that could have cost him a double bogey. On the previous hole, Schauffele took the shot of the sun from his hat, brushing against the albatross.
Schauffele’s 64, therefore, was not without some controversy. After leading at 6 under par after an eagle on the 7th hole, on the 8th Schauffele called the referee and got relief without penalty for being a temporary immovable object. The Olympic gold in Tokyo played a chip on the green and with two putts he saved par, miraculous and restorative.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
