RORY MCILROY ROLLED in six birdies yesterday to launch his challenge at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

Two days short of his 25th birthday McIlroy sits on three-under par, three shots behind overnight leaders Martin Flores and Angel Cabrera.

The world number 11 feels that he’s reaping the benefits of recent work on his putting game.

“I held some nice putts… the ones that I was missing at Augusta,” McIlroy said.

“I hit it to  six feet on the 10th and made it, missed one on 12, but then held a nice one on 14, 15, 17, 18.

“I held some nice putts today which was good to see. At least it tells me the stuff I’m working on is going in the right direction.”

McIlroy’s inconsistency with the putter cost him at the Masters, where he finished tied eight, but struggles on the green haven’t added any pressure.

“I’ve always been the type of player that I’ve never had to rely on my putting too much,” he added.

“Obviously when you putt well you’re going to do well and contend in tournaments.

But I feel like I’ve always been a different sort of player, where even if sometimes I don’t putt so well, I’ll still be able to get it to run under par because I can hit the greens on the par-fives and two‑putt those and hit a couple of iron shots close.

“I never felt like I needed to rely on my putting.”

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