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Charlotte - Rickie Fowler delivered on his vast potential by claiming his first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo championship with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff against Briton Rory McIlroy and fellow American D.A. Points at Quail Hollow on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Fowler finally justified his billing as one of the game's top young players when he sank a four-footer for birdie at the 18th hole to claim victory at the Charlotte, North Carolina course.
"It's a good feeling right now," Fowler told reporters after winning in his 67th professional start. "Definitely some relief, satisfaction.
"I definitely knew I was good enough, and it was just getting everything to come together and stay patient."
Despite losing out in the playoff, the finish ensured US Open champion McIlroy, who is also 23, would reclaim the number one world ranking from Luke Donald.
Fowler fired a three-under-par 69 to join McIlroy (70) and Points (71) in the sudden-death playoff after tying at 14-under-par 274 after the regulation 72 holes.
Fowler, who had made the last US Ryder Cup team despite lacking a tour victory, saw the pressure lift off his shoulders when both Points and McIlroy missed their long birdie putts and had to settle for par.
McIlroy had left himself 34 feet from the cup after his approach shot, and Points was 41 feet away.
Home-town favourite Webb Simpson, the third-round leader who lives about a mile from the course, finished one stroke out of the playoff at 275 after posting a 73 for fourth place.
Two shots further back on 277 were Briton Lee Westwood (66) and Americans Ben Curtis (67) and Ryan Moore (74).
The Wells Fargo finish could presage a dynamic rivalry between the young Fowler and McIlroy, who two years ago fired a sensational, course-record 62 to win this tournament.
"I'm looking forward to playing with Rory for a long time," said Fowler, whose colourful outfits and all-orange Sunday get-up had brought him more attention than his tour results.
"We've always had a great camaraderie, been good buddies," Fowler said about the Northern Irishman.
"I've had a lot of fun playing against him. We first played against each other at the Walker Cup in '07, and I look forward to playing against him and hopefully having plenty more tournaments like this where we're battling back and forth."
After all three players found the fairway with their playoff drives, Fowler set up victory with his brilliant approach.
All three golfers had the chance to clinch victory during the final holes.
Points had a one-shot lead going to the final hole of regulation but knocked his approach shot into a bunker and took a bogey.
McIlroy had a shot at winning in regulation but missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the last.
Fowler had the outright lead until he drove into a fairway bunker at the 16th and then hit to a greenside bunker. He two-putted from 10 feet for bogey to slide back.
Leading final-round scores on Sunday from the $6.5 million US PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship (x-won at first playoff hole; USA unless noted, par-72):
274 - x-Rickie Fowler 66-72-67-69, DA Points 66-68-69-71, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 70-68-66-70
275 - Webb Simpson 65-68-69-73
277 - Lee Westwood (ENG) 71-72-68-66, Ben Curtis 69-70-71-67, Ryan Moore 65-70-68-74
278 - Nick Watney 68-64-72-74
279 - Jonathan Byrd 69-69-72-69, James Driscoll 71-70-69-69, Jason Day (AUS) 70-70-69-70, Brian Davis (ENG) 66-74-69-70, Seung-Yul Noh (KOR) 68-70-70-71, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 68-73-67-71
280 - Sean O'Hair 72-69-69-70, David Toms 74-65-70-71, Robert Garrigus 69-72-68-71, George McNeill 70-68-68-74, John Senden (AUS) 66-68-72-74, Stewart Cink 65-69-71-75
281 - Arjun Atwal (IND) 68-69-75-69, Hunter Haas 68-68-75-70, Martin Flores 68-70-71-72, Ben Crane 70-64-73-74, Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 71-70-65-75
282 - Jim Furyk 71-71-71-69, Will Claxton 71-72-70-69, Kevin Stadler 68-74-70-70, Sunghoon Kang (KOR) 71-70-70-71, Martin Laird (SCO) 72-70-69-71, Phil Mickelson 71-72-68-71
