World No. 1 Rory McIlroy will play the opening two rounds of the Wells Fargo Championship alongside fellow ‘Twenty-something’ born American Patrick Reed.
However while the four-time PGA Tour winning Reed believes it is a ‘cut-throat’ nature that has seen the like of he, McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day dominate golf, McIlroy slightly disagrees.
Instead, McIlroy believes it more an ‘aggressive’ approach to the ancient club-and-ball game that currently see some seven players, crowned by McIlroy and Spieth as the World No. 1 and 2 and up to Reed, who is presently ranked No. 15 in the world.
Rory McIlroy reminded of his achievement in 2010 at Quail Hollow – His first PGA Tour success.
“I don’t know if I agree with Patrick that we’re all ‘cut throat’ and I would simply say that we’re all not afraid to go out there and win,” said McIlroy ahead of teeing-up in this week’s $US 7.1m event at the Quail Hollow Golf Club in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I would agree that the last few years we have all started playing a lot aggressively than the guys in the past used to, and I feel like it’s a lot more drivers and the younger players today are being more aggressive in their approach to the game and it’s resulting in more birdies and so on.
“Then you look at the way Rickie played those last few holes and he clearly showed he wasn’t afraid hitting driver and hitting it straight at the pin.”
And McIlroy was full of praise for good friend Fowler who captured last week’s Players Championship after winning through a four-hole play-off at TPC Sawgrass.
“It was an amazing fininsh and a great win for Rickie, and I’m really pleased for him,” said McIlrory.
“But then I was looking at those last few holes they were playing and I was thinking to myself that when Rickie birdied 15 to go eight-under par, it was the same score that I was standing on the 16th tee.
“So it just shows how bunched it all was last Sunday.
“But taking nothing away from Rickie as it’s a huge win for his career and very timely on top of that poll that came out.”
This week’s Wells Fargo Championship is McIlroy’s third of five events in succession that also include next week’s European Tour BMW PGA Championship and the following week’s Irish Open.
And McIlroy’s return this week to Quail Hollow is special as he captured the first of now 10 PGA Tour titles in 2010.
“It’s always been nice to come back to Quail Hollow as the course and the tournament will always be special to me,” he said.
“I’ve always played well here including in 2012 when I lost out to Rickie, so delighted to be back.”
