'Good vibes’ for McIlroy as he defends title at soggy Wells Fargo

POTOMAC, Md.: Wearing black rain pants on a soggy, foggy Wednesday morning, Rory McIlroy still had a bounce in his step and plenty of reasons to smile as he chatted with reporters, signed autographs and posed for selfies outside the clubhouse at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.

He is coming off a career-best runner-up finish at the Masters, thanks to a brilliant closing 64, and he has plenty of good memories from the Maryland suburbs of Washington. A mile to the east at Congressional, McIlroy played what he still describes as the best golf of his life, an eight-shot victory in the 2011 US Open.

“I was driving in here yesterday morning and going along whatever road that is and I looked left and I thought, ‘That looks like Congressional. Oh, that is Congressional,’” McIlroy said. “So, good vibes, obviously, from this area.”

McIlroy, who turned 33 on Wednesday, has a more recent title to defend this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, although he’ll have to do it on a course where he’s never competed. His victory last year was his third at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, but the tournament is making a one-year detour to TPC Potomac while its regular venue prepares to host the Presidents Cup in September.

McIlroy professes himself a fan of the tree-lined, trouble-heavy layout that’s had a mixed reputation during 35 years as an on-and-off PGA Tour venue.

“It’s just a solid golf course. You can’t really fake it around here,” McIlroy said. “You’ve got to hit the ball really well. Green complexes are tricky, pretty small targets. The rough maybe isn’t up as much as they usually have it here because of the time of year, but overall, really solid test.”

And a wet one, thanks to an inch of rain that fell in the early