“It’s a big lesson for me” – Rory McIlroy explains his new approach as he heads to Wells Fargo to continue his stunning record

The Wells Fargo Championship has been kind to Rory McIlroy over the years.

The 35-year-old heads into the Quail Hollow tournament this week having won the event three times (2010, 2015, 2021).

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The Northern Irishman recently returned to winning ways after triumphing at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans with fellow Irishman Shane Lowry.

McIlroy’s win at the Zurich Classic was his first on the PGA Tour since the Genesis Scottish Open in 2023 and the four-time major winner is feeling revitalized ahead of the Wells Fargo Championship this week.

“The week in New Orleans did me a ton of good just in terms of the fun element,” McIlroy said after playing a practice round at Quail Hollow.

“It was a lot of fun; we had a great time regardless of the outcome.

“But obviously the result was also a bonus, and getting the win with Shane. And I think also, with the way I felt about my game, especially on the weekend there, I played really well.

“Then winning with a friend and what that did for both of our seasons, right? It allowed Shane to compete in the final marquee events.

“It moved us both up the FedEx Cup points list. And it gave us a lot of confidence going into the heart of the season and into the summer. So, yeah, it was a great week.

“I’m so happy we were able to do it and play, and yeah, it makes me really excited for the rest of the year now.

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McIlroy has been notoriously stuck on four majors for ten years, with his latest glory coming at the 2024 PGA Championship

He finished 16 shots behind Scottie Scheffler at the Masters last month as another major passed him by.

Nevertheless, he continued to accumulate victories on tour and is the first player to reach 25 victories on the PGA Tour (regular season events and majors) since 2005.

McIlroy admitted the major setbacks have been tough to swallow, but his first victory of 2024 served as a “big lesson” to remember to have fun on the course.

“I think when you go through a period in golf where you’re not getting the results you want, it’s hard to have fun, isn’t it?” he said.

“It’s hard to keep your enthusiasm up. It’s hard to keep that positive mindset week after week.

“This was my fourth week in a row, and I was telling my team last week, this is a big lesson for me that when things aren’t going well, sometimes it’s not about going home and work on his game and stay on track with the range.

“It’s about trying to play, playing through it and understanding what your misses are and how to deal with them.

“It’s been a good lesson for me that sometimes just keeping going is the right thing to do, keep playing and keep working on what you’re working on and have faith that everything is going to come together at some point.” .

When McIlory was at Quail Hollow in 2016, a fan threw a “weird” object onto the course and was ejected.

McIlroy is now looking for his 40th career victory, which could come at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship.

Failing that, he’ll have the chance to take that step at next week’s US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville – a tournament he’s won twice before.