Rory McIlroy is going to be the favourite in the eyes of many heading into the PGA Championship this month after the Northern Irishman won The Masters to end an 11-year wait for a fifth major title.
Had any other player showed the kind of form Rory McIlroy had produced leading into The Masters – winning at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship – it would have seemed almost inevitable that they would end the week at Augusta National by having a green jacket placed upon them.
However, McIlroy was under a level of pressure that no other player had to contend with. So it feels particularly significant that he has now completed the career grand slam – particularly given where the PGA Championship is set to be held.
Quail Hollow will host the second major of the year for the first time since 2017. Of course, the course usually plays host to the tournament now known as the Truist Championship.
What Jack Nicklaus wrote in a note to Rory McIlroy after his first win at Quail Hollow
It is somewhere McIlroy has won four times previously, with his first ever PGA Tour win coming at the North Carolina course back in 2010.
McIlroy secured that victory in some style. In fact, his performance left Jack Nicklaus stunned – as he told Golf Digest back in 2017.
“I like following the young talents. Even before he turned pro in 2007, I paid attention to Rory McIlroy. One month before he won his first PGA Tour event, the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail, I’d told him to stay patient; his time to win in the States was coming,” he wrote.
“Of course, he shoots a course-record 62 in the last round to win by four. I quickly wrote him a note that said, ‘I told you to stay patient, but this is ridiculous’.”
How Phil Mickelson reacted to Rory McIlroy’s performance to secure his first PGA Tour win
It was Phil Mickelson who was playing alongside McIlroy on that final day at Quail Hollow 15 years ago, with Lefty finishing in second, four shots back of the youngster.
And he seemed just as amazed as Nicklaus as he commented on McIlroy’s performance after the final round.
“He’s won a number of places throughout the world, and for him to win here on the PGA Tour just sets it off. He’s got all the shots, he’s got the game of a veteran, and he’s a class act. He’s fun to be around. You can’t help but pull for him,” he said.
“62 is one of the best rounds I’ve seen in a long, long time. It was very impressive. He’s an impressive player. He’s also a wonderful person, so I’m happy for him.”
Quail Hollow has changed a fair amount since then. But the changes do not appear to have impacted McIlroy, whose most recent victory at the course came back in 2024.
Certainly, he looks to have a phenomenal chance of being a six-time major champion by the time June comes around.
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