Wells Fargo: Rory McIlroy closes in on Xander Schauffele for next PGA Tour win

Rory McIlroy played well on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship. He posted a bogey-free round for the second day in a row, finishing with a 4-under 67 to sit at 11-under for the tournament.

The Northern Irishman still trails Xander Schauffele by one, but closed the gap by three strokes and is in contention to win his second straight PGA Tour event.

McIlroy made two birdies on the front and two on the back during his round Saturday.

This season has seen him go up and down at tournaments. The 4-time major winner will play well but then have a round where he makes silly errors.

“I think I’ve held out pretty well for the most part inside six feet, and then I think because I know this golf course so well, I’ve missed it in the right spots when I have missed the green,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, to play two rounds in a row on this golf course in these conditions bogey-free is a bit of a feather in my cap; I’m pretty proud of that.”

Rory McIlroy walks off 18th green at the Wells Fargo Championship

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Quail Hollow is a special place for McIlroy. He won his first PGA Tour event at this venue and set the course record with a 62 in 2010.

The 25-time PGA Tour winner then had two more wins at this historic track. He broke his 18-hole scoring record with a 61 in 2015 and set the tournament record at 21 under that same year. His third win came in 2021.

McIlroy may know the course, but his game has fluctuated this year. But it appears he is putting together a level of consistency that has otherwise eluded him in 2024.

Through three days of play, he leads the field in strokes gained off the tee, picking up 5.390 shots with his driver. He also picked up 5.130 strokes on the field to sit third in strokes gained approach to the green.

In the third round alone, the Florida resident picked up three shots off the tee.

“Leaned on the driver a lot, driven the ball very, very well, which is a continuation of how I felt in New Orleans.” – Rory McIlroy

R1: +0.80 SG off the tee
R2: +1.67
R3: +3.03 (!!)

pic.twitter.com/Q8tGxu1A3a

— Mark Fox (@ThePluggedLie) May 11, 2024

After the Players, McIlroy visited Butch Harmon and it seems like it helped him figure out some issues with his swing. He claims his win with Shane Lowry in New Orleans proved beneficial, especially with the success of the big stick.

“That’s a direct result of the feelings I got in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “A lot of the stuff Butch and I worked on was more iron play and wedges. The driving is more me committing to hitting that little cut off the tee and having the freedom to — every time I hit a good tee shot, the more confidence I get and the more I want to keep hitting it.”

His driving average this week is 341 yards — to put it simply, McIlroy is roasting it off the tee.

He has played exceptionally well this week in areas that have been giving him fits. McIlroy trails Schauffele by one and is three clear of third place as he looks for his 26th career PGA Tour victory and the fourth at Quail Hollow.

Schauffele has also played well this week, so Sunday should be a battle from the opening tee shot.

Could McIlroy’s game be peaking at the right moment ahead of the PGA Championship where the 35-year-old will look to end his major drought?

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.