Rory McIlroy didn’t win in Maryland on Sunday, but he seemed unfazed. He’s all set for the PGA Tour.
McIlroy finished solo sixth in the Wells Fargo Championship after shooting his second straight 2-under 68 on Sunday at TPC Potomac.
“I’m playing good, playing really good,” McIlroy said after finishing in the top five in successive starts for the first time since a T-5 at the 2020 Masters was followed by a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi two months later.
In the last round on Sunday, McIlroy gave up a handful of shots. He three-putted from 55 feet on the par-4 11th hole, leaving his first roll 12 feet short, and then missed an 8-footer for par on the par-4 18th hole to finish four shots behind winner Max Homa, who joined McIlroy as the tournament’s only other multiple winner (McIlroy has won three Wells Fargo titles).
McIlroy, on the other hand, performed admirably in adverse conditions. On Sunday, he only missed three greens in regulation, finishing the week in the top 15 in three strokes-gained categories: 15th in putting, 12th in approach, and 10th off the tee.
McIlroy is unlikely to grind in practice during his off week before the PGA Championship. When asked what aspects of his physical game he needed to improve before Southern Hills, he couldn’t think of anything. It was mental, not physical.
He said, “Shot selection.” “Like the shot selection into 16, when you’re trying to shoot a strong wedge and not quite getting it all, hitting the slope, spinning back to the front of the green.” That might not happen if you hit a three-quarter 9-iron. It’s sometimes just a matter of getting the correct shot at the right time.
“However, you can only learn it via playing tournament golf.”
McIlroy is expected to play a lot of tournament golf in the near future. After another rest week following the PGA, McIlroy plans to compete in all four Tour tournaments in June: the Memorial, the RBC Canadian Open, where he is the reigning champion (from 2019), the US Open, and the Travelers.
