History tells us some things, where that old horses-for-courses theory provides a familiar outcome. Tiger Woods, more than anyone, lived out such truths when, time and time again, a return to certain golf courses inevitably led to another “W” to add to his roll of honour.
Of Woods’s 82 career wins on the PGA Tour, a significant number came at places where he reigned supreme. Bay Hill. Torrey Pines. Augusta National. Akron.
Woods won eight times at Arnie’s Place in Bay Hill when capturing the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also won eight times at Akron when using the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational like a personal ATM to spill out greenbacks. Eight times at Torrey Pines, seven Farmers Insurance Opens and a US Open.
Other players through time have shown particular fondness and abilities on returning to winning venues. Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear himself, won six times at Augusta National. Phil Mickelson won five times at Pebble Beach. Ben Hogan won five times at Colonial.
You get the drift. But such rarefied air is found only by the greats of the game.
For Rory McIlroy, Quail Hollow, south of Charlotte, North Carolina – where the 107th edition of the US PGA Championship takes place next week – has become his domain. The Northern Irishman has won four times at Quail Hollow, indeed claiming his very first PGA Tour event there in 2010 to start a love affair with the undulating, tree-lined layout that has strengthened through the years.
“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,” admitted McIlroy, following his win in 2021, his third success on the course having previously won there in 2010 and 2015. He added a fourth title there when winning last year’s Wells Fargo.
McIlroy first rocked up at Quail Hollow as a 20-year-old with a world top 10 ranking but still seeking a first win on the US circuit. His poor vein of form came from a back injury sustained in the early part of the year, a consequence – he would claim – of spending up to eight hours on the range and playing tennis and soccer. “It all added up,” he explained of a back injury that limited him to hitting 100 balls at most.
But from the first time he arrived at Quail Hollow, on the back of two missed cuts, he sensed a turn in fortune. It was time for the Americans to discover his X factor. And, having fought to survive the cut, he posted a 66 on moving day in Saturday’s third round to move into contention and followed with a course record final-round 62 that saw him power his way past Phil Mickelson to claim a four strokes winning margin over Lefty.
[ Stunning McIlroy bags QuailOpens in new window ]
In fairness to Mickelson, he was magnanimous in defeat. “He’s an amazing talent. I’ve played with him over the last year or two a decent amount, and it’s tough to walk away feeling disappointed, not only as a player but as a person, so I’m happy for him to win even though I’m disappointed it was at my expense,” he said.
“I think that he’s won all throughout the world, and for him to win here on the PGA Tour before his 21st birthday I just think sets his career off. He’s obviously an impressive player. Everybody knows how great he is and sees some of the shots that you just look in amazement. I’m happy for him that he was able to put together this great round. I’m sorry it was at my expense.” concluded Mickelson.
McIlroy’s breakthrough win on the PGA Tour created a link with Quail Hollow – and Charlotte – that would blossom over time. “It’s not just one of my favourite stops on tour, but one of my favourite cities in America,” said McIlroy.
Ironically, he’d considered skipping the tournament in 2015 but decided to add it on to his schedule in what proved to be a wise move, as he coasted to a seven strokes winning margin over Patrick Rodgers and Webb Simpson. A new course record 61 in the third round effectively turned his second win at Quail Hollow into a runaway.
By the time the 2017 US PGA Championship – won by Justin Thomas – arrived at Quail Hollow, modifications had been made to the course but, in McIlroy’s eyes, it still retained the feelgood vibe.
“There’s certain golf courses that you can see yourself shoot a score on, that just gives you that feeling. You don’t really have to have your best game and you still feel like you have a chance to win, and that’s sort of how it feels. I think once you go back to a place where you do have great memories, all that starts to come flooding back to you and it makes you feel good about yourself,” said McIlroy. It didn’t quite work out that time (he finished tied-22nd) but the future would bring further glory.
On the eve of the 2021 tournament, McIlroy pulled a neck muscle when hitting some shots on the range and seriously considered withdrawing. “My neck completely locked up on me,” he would recall. A later tee-time for Thursday’s opening round, though, gave the medics and physios sufficient time for him to at least start and that opening score of 72 would be his highest as he progressively moved his way up the leader board, a final round 68 for 274 giving him a one-shot win over Abraham Ancer.
[ Red hot Rory McIlroy storms to fourth Quail Hollow titleOpens in new window ]
“It just shows you how awesome he is as a player. He didn’t have his best and he still won,” was the comment from Keith Mitchell, who’d played in the final pairing with McIlroy that Sunday.
Last year McIlroy hit more milestones in Charlotte. It gave him a fourth win in the tournament at Quail Hollow – a first for him in winning the same event four times – and a 26th win on the PGA Tour (which has since expanded to 29 with his wins this season in the Pebble Beach pro-am, The Players and the Masters where he completed the career Grand Slam).
“Whenever I sort of hit some of these milestones or do these things, I always think back to, for example, like 20-year-old me playing in this tournament for the first time,” he reflected, adding: “If I had known back then that this is the way everything was going to pan out, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Any time things like this happen I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that I have the opportunity to do what I do.”
And of his relationship with Charlotte, he remarked: “I love coming back here, I love spending time here. It’s a place that I’m very comfortable at with Quail Hollow, the city of Charlotte in general and the people. For whatever reason, I get so much great support here ... all these people have sort of watched me grow up. I won here for the first time as a 20-year-old and now at 35, so they’ve sort of seen my progression throughout the years. I’ve sort of grown up in front of their eyes and I think that’s one of the reasons I get a lot of support.”
McIlroy’s latest return to Quail Hollow for the US PGA Championship next week is likely to see him welcomed with even more affection – and expectation – as only the sixth player in golfing history to join the Grand Slam club. In truth, there could hardly be a better-chosen place for him to add the Wanamaker Trophy to his green jacket.
McIlroy’s four wins at Quail Hollow
2010 Quail Hollow Championship
72-73-66-62 for 273 (-15)
Came home in 30 strokes in the final round for a course record 62 that saw him power his way to a first career win on the PGA Tour. However, the big play of the week arguably came in the second round when McIlroy was battling to make the cut. An eagle on the seventh hole (his 16th) was, he claimed, “the turning point in my season” after making it into the weekend and kicking on.
2015 Wells Fargo Championship
70-67-61-69 for 267 (-21)
Originally McIlroy had not intended to play due to a packed schedule that involved flipping between the US and European circuits but changed his mind when ranked outside the top-100 on the FedEx Cup after the Masters. “I said, I need to play a little bit more, I feel like I’m playing well.” The change of mind was rewarded with another course record 61 in the third round that saw him coast to victory.
2021 Wells Fargo Championship
72-66-68-68 for 274 (-10)
The significance of McIlroy’s third win at Quail Hollow was that it was his first as a father, with daughter Poppy and wife Erica waiting for him by the 18th green. It was also on that finishing hole that caddie Harry Diamond wisely advised his man to take a penalty drop rather than attempt to play out from the creek after finding the hazard with his tee shot. “Harry was awesome out there, especially that decision on the last. I was ready to get in there and try to play that with a lob wedge and he was like, ‘Let’s take a step back, let’s think about this’ ... he sort of calmed me down and slowed me down a little bit and said, ‘Pal, let’s just think about this a little bit’.”
2024 Wells Fargo Championship
67-68-67-65 for 267 (-17)
A fortnight after teaming up with Shane Lowry in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, McIlroy brought that momentum with him to Quail Hollow where he cruised to a five strokes winning margin over Xander Schauffele. “Historically, this is a golf course that lets you hit driver a lot and you can really take advantage of length off the tee if you have it. It’s one of the big factors why I’ve been able to do so well here over the years. Combine that with how comfortable I felt with my short game and my putting this week, I’m able to put runs together on this golf course that has enabled me to win here for the fourth time.”
* Note: Par 72 in 2010 and 2015, Par 71 in 2021 and 2024
