Rory McIlroy returns to a familiar hunting ground this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, heading to North Carolina in search of a third Quail Hollow victory.
McIlroy has achieved more success at the par-71 layout than any other course on the PGA Tour, with the Northern Irishman posting top-10 finishes in six of his eight starts at the venue.
Will McIlroy extend that run this week and register a second victory of the season? We look back at his past Quail Hollow success stories…
2010
The Northern Irishman claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory in record-breaking fashion at Quail Hollow, with the then 20-year-old finishing four clear of the chasing pack.
McIlroy converted an eagle late into his second round to head into the weekend on the cut mark and nine strokes off the pace, before moving up the leaderboard with a six-under 66 on Saturday.
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Beginning the final round four shots back, McIlroy carded a front-nine 32 and followed birdies at the 11th and 14th with a close-range eagle at the next to pull ahead.
A birdie at the 16th extended his advantage, before McIlroy drained a 40-footer at the last to complete a course record-breaking round of 62 and see him become the youngest PGA Tour winner since Tiger Woods.
2015
Coming into the week as world No 1, McIlroy broke his own course record on his way to a dominant seven-stroke victory and 11th PGA Tour success.
McIlroy headed into the weekend three strokes off the pace but surged up the leaderboard with an 11-under 61, pushing four clear of the rest of the field.
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Nine birdies in a 10-hole stretch from the seventh had left McIlroy edging towards a potential ’59 round’, only for him to close his second blemish-free card in succession with back-to-back pars.
A three-under 69 on Sunday saw McIlroy finish the week on 21 under – the 72-hole record for the tournament – extending his cushion over nearest challengers Webb Simpson and Patrick Rodgers.
Best of the rest
The only blotch on McIlroy’s Quail Hollow card was in 2011, where rounds of 75 and 72 saw his title defence end with a missed cut.
McIlroy was back in contention a year later and part of a three-way play-off alongside DA Points and Rickie Fowler after the trio finished on 14 under, where Fowler prevailed thanks to a birdie at the first extra hole.
The then world No 2 held a share of the opening round in 2013 but ended in a share of 10th spot after successive 73s over the weekend, with a second-round 76 the following year limiting McIlroy to a tied-eighth finish.
McIlroy made a slow start to his title defence in 2016 with an opening-round 73 and said he needed to cut out “sloppy mistakes” after shooting the same number on Saturday.
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A bogey on the first and last holes of McIlroy’s birdie-filled 66 in the final round proved to be costly, as he ended in a tied-fourth and two strokes back from eventual champion James Hahn.
Watch the Wells Fargo Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from midday on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.
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