Rory McIlroy looks like a serious contender for next week’s PGA Championship after he claimed his third Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow to end his 18-month victory drought.

Just a month after officially starting work with new coach Pete Cowen, the world No 15 combined a razor-sharp short game with stellar putting, carding a three-under 68 to win his 19th PGA Tour title by a shot from Abraham Ancer by one stroke on 10-under par.

Scores

Not only did he take his career tournament earnings to $56.36 million, he threw down a serious marker ahead of the second Major of the year at Kiawah Island, where he won by eight shots nine years ago.

The win was not without drama as he took a two-shot lead to the 18th but drove on the bank of the stream and was talked into taking a penalty drop by caddie Harry Diamond before hitting a stellar 200-yard approach to the heart of the green before two-putting from 44 feet for his first win as a dad.

“It’s never easy,” an emotional McIlroy said at the finish. “It’s felt like a long time since that win in China in 2019. The world is a completely different place than it used to be, everyone getting through a pandemic. Life has changed a lot for me being a dad, winning on Mother’s Day, thinking of Erica, thinking of my Mum back home. 

“It just feels awesome and this is one of my favourite places in the world and to break the drought and to win here again, it’s awesome. It’s awesome to play in front of these people again. When we came back from the pandemic, I thought I’d enjoy the peace and quiet but I soon realised to bring the best out of myself, I need this. 

“I feed off the energy so much, maybe here more so than anywhere else just because it’s the first place I’ve won three times. The crowd has been awesome all week and they really carried me through today.” 

He began the final round tied for second with Gary Woodland on seven-under, two strokes behind Keith Mitchell.

But as Mitchell followed an opening birdie with back to back bogeys at the fifth and sixth, McIlroy birdied the third and then watched a 25-foot left to right cutler drop in at the seventh to turn in 33 and grab a share the lead with Woodland on nine-under.

After making an 11-footer for par at the 13th, he got up and down from sand for birdie at the driveable 14th to lead on his own, then got up and down again from more sand for birdie on the par-five15th to stretch his advantage to two strokes on 11-under heading down the Green Mile.

The closing three holes are amongst the most difficult on the PGA Tour but McIlroy pencilled in two textbook pars followed by that sensible bogey five at the 18th

Seamus Power closed with a one-under 70 to finish 54th on four-over with Shane Lowry 65th on six-over after a 71.