Rory McIlroy has ended his 18-month wait for a PGA Tour victory, to win the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.
A three-under par final round of 68 saw the four-time major winner overturn a two-shot deficit on the final day to win by one on 10 under par.
He had to survive a nervy final hole though, carrying a two-shot lead to the 18th before going wayward off the tee.
But despite that wobble, he was able to compose himself to make bogey and see out victory; his 19th on the PGA Tour, and first since winning the WGC HSBC Champions in November 2019.
The 32-year-old's form had spiraled in recent months, culminating in a missed cut at the Masters at Augusta last month.
Congratulations to the McIlroy's! pic.twitter.com/nApPJtz6Tl
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 9, 2021
However, working with a new coach Pete Cowen in recent weeks, and he says getting back into the winners circle is a huge relief.
"There's a relief that I've won again, relief that my season is sort of back on track, and more just satisfaction at the journey that I'm on and the process that I've been going through to try to get back to this point," said Rory McIlroy.
"There's been a lot of hard work, but I've put my head down and I haven't really looked too much in either direction, I've just tried to do what I need to do. For a couple of months there, all that hard work seemed like it was not really getting anywhere, wasn't providing me with much.
The victory will lift McIlroy from 15th in the world rankings - his lowest ranking since 2009 - back up into 7th place in the world.
It's also a timely showing of form, with McIlroy's victory coming just two weeks out from the USPGA Championship at Kiawah Island, where he won the tournament - his second major - in 2012.
