The emotions were understandable. From Rory McIlroy and the fans. McIlroy had just walked off Quail Hollow’s 18th green to roars rarely heard in what seemed like forever. He had just won for the first time since 2019 at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. And he had just won for the first time as a father.
“It’s never easy to win out here,” an emotional McIlroy said. “It’s felt like a long time since that victory in China in 2019. The world is a completely different place than it used to be. Everyone is getting through a pandemic. Life changed a lot for me, being a dad. Winning on Mother’s Day, thinking of (wife) Erica and my mom back home. It just feels awesome.”
Poppy’s dad won for the 19th time on the PGA TOUR, and for the third time at the Wells Fargo Championship.
He began the day two shots behind Keith Mitchell but slowly chipped away before shooting a 3-under 68 in difficult conditions to win by one shot. McIlory, 32, pocketed 500 FedExCup points and moved to 17th in the standings.
