Golf Channel broadcaster Ryan Lavner has shared what he believes to be the most encouraging sign about Rory McIlroy’s performance at the Wells Fargo Championship after the Northern Irishman won his fourth title at Quail Hollow.
Rory McIlroy started the final day one shot back of Xander Schauffele, but the 34-year-old ended up winning by five after shooting a six-under 65 on Sunday.
McIlroy has now won at his last two events on the PGA Tour, which may seem ominous for his rivals ahead of this week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla – a course where he won his most recent major championship.
Many will now be wondering whether he can take this form into the major, with McIlroy almost going a decade without winning one of the sport’s biggest prizes.
Rory McIlroy produces masterclass to win Wells Fargo
Brandel Chamblee noted that McIlroy was ‘extraordinary’ off the tee at Quail Hollow, but there was another aspect of his game which really impressed Ryan Lavner.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Lavner noted that he was particularly taken aback by how McIlroy avoided making almost any mistakes throughout the week.
“You say that it’s one of the most exciting phenomenons in golf, watching him when he’s driving the golf ball like this. He’s always driven it like this, but the mystery has always been but what’s he going to do there? Is he going flub short irons into the green side bunker? Is he going to hit a wedge to 30 feet? This was not that performance,” he said.
“This was Rory very tidy until the last hole which he got a flyer out of the right-hand rough. I think he had four bogeys overall for the rest of the week, that’s the kind of tidy golf that Rory has not been playing for much of 2024.
“If anything, I think that was the most encouraging sign for me and shows his major readiness, the fact that he only had four or five bogeys throughout the course of the 72-hole tournament, again at a golf course that’s a major championship venue, that was playing as firm and fast as Quail Hollow was.”
Three favourites emerge for PGA Championship
This is an era where the major championships almost take on more significance because of the current divide within the game.
And there is now a situation where the three favourites to win the PGA Championship have barely faced off over the last few months.
Scottie Scheffler has not played since winning the RBC Heritage last month, while Brooks Koepka is obviously plying his trade on LIV Golf.
McIlroy has now reminded everyone why – despite his major drought – he has to be in the conversation to win at Valhalla in the coming days.
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