McIlroy Claims Wells Fargo Golf Championship

Rory McIlroy could very easily have skipped his trip to Charlotte this week. In the aftermath of another impressive victory Sunday, it is interesting to note that McIlroy had not yet committed to the Wells Fargo Championship when such notice was due just nine days ago.

With a couple of hours remaining to enter on May 8, tournament officials had every reason to wonder if their 2010 champion was going to make a return visit or skip their annual PGA Tour stop for the first time since he made the trip there six years ago.

McIlroy is in the midst, after all, of five straight tournaments across three countries and eight time zones. With the U.S. Open looming next month, it would have been more than understandable if McIlroy had decided to skip Quail Hollow for one year.

But winning renders such decisions moot, and quite obviously McIlroy is happy with his decision after notching his 11th PGA Tour title, setting a course-record 61 on Saturday that included 11 birdies, and winning by 7 strokes. And there's no overstating just how remarkable he was during that third round.

McIlroy hit 15 greens in regulation and hit a 9-iron or less into 15 of the 18 holes. While that might be an indictment on today's technology -- and the home of the 2017 PGA Championship -- it is striking nonetheless. McIlroy took advantage unlike anyone else, needing just 23 putts, to all but put the tournament out of reach.