The Loop
Rory McIlroy has a bald eagle named after him at Quail Hollow (No, really)
Rory McIlroy is the only two-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship. And to the victor, go the . . . bald eagles? Apparently, McIlroy will have a new fan watching him from high above Quail Hollow when he tees it up on Thursday.
The Charlotte Observer reports the Carolina Raptor Center released a bald eagle named "Rory" after the four-time major champ at the golf course. Quail Hollow now has three bald eagles living on the property.
Here's a video of the eagle going back into the wild on March 31:
It's been quite a turnaround for Little Rory, who was found in Hendersonville, N.C., and admitted to the center with a broken wing, lead poisoning and emaciation in December. Big Rory, who happened to turn 27 on Wednesday, was happy for the unusual tribute.
"It’s cool," McIlroy said on Tuesday. "This is a place with great memories for me since 2010. It’s always nice to have your name on the board here as champion and now it’s nice to have something outside as well."