McIlroy claims first title in 18 months at Quail Hollow

Rory McIlroy claimed his first victory in 18 months as the Northern Irishman won for the third time in his career at Quail Hollow Club, finishing one stroke clear of Abraham Ancer in the Wells Fargo Championship.

The 32-year-old entered the final day two shots off the third round lead held by American Keith Mitchell. McIlroy, playing in the final group, proceeded to put on a final day display of pure composure and ruthlessness.

Birdies at the third and seventh holes earned him a two under front nine 33 to move right into the mix heading down the stretch.

It was a pair of delightful sand saves for back-to-back birdies at the par four 14th and par five 15th which moved McIlroy into the driving seat for a 19th PGA TOUR title and he afforded himself the luxury of a bogey at the last to still clinch a one-stroke triumph with a three under 68 and a ten under total.

The victory, coming shortly after he began working closely with renowned swing coach Pete Cowen, moved the four-time Major winner from 15th to seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking and elevated him to 17th in the FedEx Cup Rankings.

“This place has been good to me,” said McIlroy. “Ever since I first set eyes on this golf course, I loved it from the first time I played it, and that love has sort of been reciprocated back. I've played so well here over the years.

“Progressively got a little bit better as the week went on. I had a couple of things to fall back on, which was really important, especially under pressure. Needing to hit good shots down the stretch, I had a couple of very playable swing thoughts that I've had all week. Pete and I did some good work last week in Florida.

“I felt good about my game coming in here. But I wasn't expecting to come and win first week straight out again. It's satisfying to see the work is paying off, but it's just the start. There's so much more I want to achieve and so much more I want to do in the game.”