McIlroy surges into lead at Wells Fargo Championship
In case anyone forgot or questioned that Rory McIlroy is far and away the best golfer in the world, his third round Saturday in the 13th Wells Fargo Championship serves as a reminder.
McIlroy broke his own Quail Hollow Club course record with an 11-under-par 61 to take a commanding four-stroke lead over Webb Simpson at 18-under 198 into Sunday’s final round as he attempts to win his second event in three weeks.
The world’s top-ranked player won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play two weeks ago.
“I feel like the best player in the world right now and I wanted to go out and prove that,” McIlroy said. “I had a great win at the Match Play and I want to continue that.”
McIlroy hasn’t been coronated the champion yet, though Simpson, a resident and member at Quail Hollow, is the only player with a realistic chance of catching him Sunday.
Robert Streb, who held at least a share of the lead through the first two rounds, is seven strokes back in third place and both Brendan Steele and Patrick Rodgers are eight strokes back in fourth at 10-under 206.
“I guess it would be the last group a lot of weeks that a guy is not going to shoot double digits under par in just the third round. That’s kind of a problem,” Steele said.
Much like Tiger Woods for several years in the 2000s, if McIlroy is on his game, no one else in the sport can touch him.
Will MacKenzie had an up close view of McIlroy’s mastery as his playing partner Saturday and was asked what he took away from the experience. “That he's way better than me at golf,” said MacKenzie, who shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for sixth at 9 under. “It's going to be tough to beat him. I'm glad that he doesn't play every week. … He overpowers the golf course. He free swings everything.
“When he’s on, he’s awesome.”
McIlroy’s 61 supplants the previous course record of 62 he shot in the final round when he won in 2010, and bettered Jonathan Byrd’s 54-hole tournament record by three shots. It’s his low round on the PGA Tour.
The 72-hole tournament record is 16-under 272 set by Anthony Kim in 2008. “I just feel like it's one of these courses that I can get on a roll on,” McIlroy said. “I feel like the flow of the golf course with some of the short par-4s and the par-5s you can really get some momentum going.”
McIlroy, who turned 26 on May 4, attempted to explain the zone he was in Saturday.
“Every shot you look at you visualize it perfectly and it's all a mental thing,” he said. “You're picturing good shots, you're visualizing the lines on putts and you're not getting in your own way. You're just letting it happen and that's what I said about flow.”
McIlroy is the first player to make 11 birdies in a round at the Wells Fargo, and birdied nine of 10 holes from the seventh through the 16th.
He needed to birdie the final two holes to shoot a 59, the lowest recorded score in PGA Tour history, but hit his tee shot on the 180-yard 17th hole 40 feet to the right of a pin close to water on the left and made par, then made par on 18.
“I was a little disappointed I bailed out on my 7-iron on the 17th hole,” McIlroy said. “I was thinking 59 from the 14th tee box. But I’m delighted with the score and it’s always nice to break your own course record as well.”
McIlroy took an aggressive approach to his round after seeing low scores in the morning – Justin Thomas had the day’s second-lowest round with a 65. McIlroy was happy with his driving through the first two rounds, but wanted to improve his iron game and putting, and did both Saturday. A simple putting tip from putting guru Dave Stockton early in the week has helped.
“It’s just that one little thought that Dave and I talked about at the start of the week, that's really been it,” McIlroy said. “It's one of those days where you're visualizing the line and you're getting it right all the time and you've got good speed and everything fell in. It was nice.”
McIlroy was impressive throughout Saturday, and sensational at times, particularly with three consecutive birdies on holes 12-14. He hit an approach from beneath a tree in pine straw to 5 feet on the par-4 12, hit a 216-yard tee shot to 8 feet on the 13th, and drove the green on the 345-yard par-4 14th hole with a 3-wood. He chose 3-wood because he drove it over the green with a driver on Friday.
McIlroy is trying to become the first two-time champion of the Wells Fargo and capture his 11th PGA Tour title, which includes four majors. He’s also got five European Tour wins.
“I’ve got a nice healthy cushion but I want to keep going,” McIlroy said. “To go out there and play that sort of golf it gives you so much confidence and there's no reason why I shouldn't go out there tomorrow and at least play like that again.”
Simpson began the third round tied for the lead with Streb and three strokes ahead of McIlroy at 10 under and shot a 4-under 68.
He had a clean scorecard until making a bogey after a drive into the creek to the left of the fairway on the 18th hole, birdied holes 5, 7 and 13 and eagled the par-5 15th with a 263-yard uphill approach to 21 feet.
Simpson didn’t look at a scoreboard until he birdied the 13th and thought he might be in the lead. At the time he was four behind McIlroy. “I was surprised. It was remarkable,” Simpson said. “You know, we kind of gave a, ‘Oh, really, like on this golf course?’”
Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open champion, is seeking his fifth PGA Tour title and first since the 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
“[McIlroy’s 61] just makes me think he's going to play well,” Simpson said. “If I'm trying to win the golf tournament, a couple under par is not going to do it. I think it just makes me be a little more aggressive tomorrow knowing that I'm not here trying to finish second tomorrow, I'm here trying to win. If I'm trying to do that I’ve got to come out aggressive.”
Contact ALAN BLONDIN at 626-0284 or on Twitter @alanblondin, or read his blog Green Reading at myrtlebeachonline.com
This story was originally published May 16, 2015 at 9:15 PM with the headline "McIlroy surges into lead at Wells Fargo Championship."