McIlroy regains number one ranking despite loss

Rickie Fowler won his first US PGA Tour title with a playoff victory over US Open champion Rory McIlroy and DA Points on Sunday at Quail Hollow.

Fowler stuck his approach shot at the first playoff hole, the par-four 18th, four feet from the pin. After both McIlroy and Points had both parred, he made his putt for birdie and the victory in the $6.5 million Wells Fargo Championship.

Fowler, a 23-year-old touted as a future star, won in his 67th US PGA Tour start as a professional.

His only prior victory as a pro was last October at the Kolon Korea Open, where he held off McIlroy.

McIlroy, the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland who has already claimed a major title with his US Open triumph last year, will return to number one in the world golf rankings thanks to his performance here.

He needed only a top-seven finish to regain the top spot from the absent Luke Donald, who had seized it from McIlroy just last week.