Xander Schauffele grabs four-stroke lead at PGA’s storm-hit Wells Fargo
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Xander Schauffele with his caddie Austin Kaiser after finishing the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship on May 10.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Fourth-ranked Xander Schauffele aims to keep “knocking on the door” as he seeks his first victory on the PGA Tour since 2022.
On May 10, the American put himself on track to do so by firing a four-under 67 to seize a four-stroke lead after the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship.
The reigning Olympic champion, last season’s Wells Fargo runner-up, closed with a bogey to finish on 11-under 131 after 36 holes at rain-soaked Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Just trying to plod around the property, knowing if you hit a drive somewhere near the fairway it’s going to plug and stay in it,” he said. “Really kept each hole in front of me and it’s only Friday. Just happy to be in this position.”
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (68) and Australia’s Jason Day (67) shared second on 135, with South Korean Im Sung-jae (68) and American Taylor Moore (68) on 136. Two-time Major winner Collin Morikawa (70) closed with a bogey to stand sixth on 137.
The PGA Tour signature event, with a reduced field and no cut, is the last major tune-up for next week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla, where Schauffele hopes to win his first Major title.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, whose wife Meredith is about to deliver, has until May 14 afternoon to decide if he will play.
Schauffele is hoping to clinch his eighth career PGA Tour triumph this week – the 30-year-old has not won since the 2022 Scottish Open. “I’ve had a few knocks on the door here and I just keep telling myself to keep knocking,” he added.
“You’re always going to think about (winning). The tough part is just to stay present, to recognise the situation you’re in and realise you’re playing some good golf and to get out of your own way sometimes.”
McIlroy fired a bogey-free 68 while Day made five birdies in a six-hole stretch on his way to his 67. “Any time you can go around this golf course bogey-free it’s always going to be a decent day,” the Ulsterman said.
The four-time Major winner is a three-time champion at Quail Hollow, with wins in 2010, 2015 and 2021. “If I’m driving the ball well, I can take advantage of that at this course more than any other golf course,” he added.
Day birdied all three par-fives on offer, two of them in his birdie run from the seventh through 12th holes. The Australian has not had a top-10 finish since February.
“It has been a bit of a struggle but I’m starting to slowly creep my way out of it, which is nice,” he said. AFP
