( CNN ) -- When Rickie Fowler was named the PGA Tour 's rookie of the year in 2010 , the groundswell of opinion outside the U.S. was that the award should have gone to another young golfing prodigy -- Rory McIlroy . While the Northern Irishman went on to win his first major title in 2011 , and climbed to the top of the world rankings this year , Fowler had been hanging on the cusp of his own breakthrough . Until Sunday , that is , when the 23-year-old claimed his first PGA Tour title at the same Quail Hollow venue where McIlroy made his mark two years ago with a stunning final-round 62 that secured his maiden U.S. victory . Clad in his trademark bright orange outfit , his shock of hair barely contained by his hat , and a mustache nestling above his top lip that any 1970s detective would be proud of , Fowler produced his own moment of magic to beat McIlroy and fellow American D.A . Points in a playoff at the Wells Fargo Championship . Woods misses halfway cut at Quail Hollow . His stunning wedge shot to within four feet of the hole at the tricky 18th , which had given up only four birdies all day , earned him the $ 1.17 million first prize and lifted him to 15th in the FedEx Cup standings and 24th in the world rankings . `` For Rickie to go out and play that hole the way he did , he deserved to win , '' said McIlroy , who returned to world No . 1 above Englishman Luke Donald after taking home $ 572,000 in consolation . `` He probably has gone through a little bit of sort of scrutiny and a lot of pressure trying to get that first win , but now that win is out of the way . Hopefully that 'll ease the pressure a little bit . '' Fowler , who was the world 's top amateur for 36 weeks , lost a playoff in his second tournament as a professional and has been runner-up three times on the main U.S. tour . Rested McIlroy returns to PGA Tour . `` It 's nice to kind of shut them up a little bit , '' he said on the PGA Tour website . `` It 's going to be kind of a relief . It 's been a wait , but I 'm definitely still young , and hopefully this opens the door to many more . But it 's nice to be mentioned as a PGA Tour winner . `` It 's still going to be almost like having zero when someone like Phil ( Mickelson ) is getting announced with 40 and I 've got one . I 've got some work to do . '' When Fowler lines up at this week 's prestigious Players Championship , he will again be playing without one of his closest golfing friends -- Masters champion Bubba Watson , who skipped Quail Hollow to be with his wife and newly-adopted son and has also decided to sit out golf 's `` fifth major . '' Final leaderboard at Wells Fargo Championship . Watson and Fowler make up half of golf 's only boy band , the Golf Boys , along with Ben Crane and FedEx Cup leader Hunter Mahan . `` I 'm bummed that Bubba was n't around , '' said Fowler , who helped Watson celebrate after his Masters playoff victory in April . `` We were n't exactly inside the ropes but we had a front-row seat , and just to see how he handled himself , the shots he hit , just to feel the energy ... definitely being around there gave me the kind of want to win more . '' It 's not the first time Fowler has beaten McIlroy -- he did so by six shots in his only other professional win in a Korean event last year . `` Rory is the top-ranked young player right now , I 'm probably the one that sticks out most with color , '' Fowler said . `` Now I 'm a PGA Tour winner , so I 've got some credibility . '' Fowler played in the 2010 Ryder Cup defeat against Europe , and Sunday 's victory has lifted his hopes of playing in the U.S. team for this year 's match in Medinah , Illinois . Meanwhile , another player who made his Ryder Cup debut two years ago , Francesco Molinari , boosted his chance of a second appearance in September by winning the European Tour 's Spanish Open on Sunday . The Italian , whose brother Edoardo halved with Fowler in singles play at Celtic Manor in 2010 , moved up to 10th place on the European Ryder Cup standings after winning by three shots in Seville . The 29-year-old took home â‚¬333,330 ( $ 435,000 ) after clinching his first title in 18 months , and climbed to 29th in the world rankings .
Rickie Fowler wins his first PGA Tour title in playoff at Wells Fargo Championship . He beats Rory McIlroy and fellow American D.A . Points to $ 1.17 million prize . McIlroy , who returns to world No . 1 , won the tournament for his first PGA title in 2010 . Fowler wishes his friend Bubba Watson had been there to share the celebrations .