Jason Day has a 2-shot lead in the Wells Fargo Championship after posting a Saturday score of 67 with 5 birdies and just one bogey. Day has been playing ridiculously well out of sand traps this week, with several highlight reel up-and-downs. The stats back it up- as Day is just T51 in Greens in Regulation (61.11%), but T4 in Putting at 1.667 (he’s also is 11th in Driving Distance). The Australian currently holds a 2-stroke lead over Nick Watney, who shot a 66 Saturday to move into solo 2nd. Four players sit tied for 3rd, most notably Peter Uihlein- who after shooting back-to-back 72s in the beginning of the week put up a score of 9-under, including a 6 hole stretch of 5 birdies and one eagle. Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, and Aaron Wise are the others tied for 3rd place.
Rory McIlroy bounced back from a 76 Friday to shoot a 5-under round of 66. It’s been an up-and-down week for Rory, especially with his putter, despite being T3 in GIRs at over 75%. McIlroy is not out of the tournament by any means- despite being 7 shots off the lead, he has made big comebacks before at this tournament. In 2010 when he secured his first victory on Tour, he shot 66-62 on the weekend to win by 4 strokes. After the round, Rory had this to say, “I’m just not that comfortable with anything right now. I’m trying really hard to hit it in the fairway and then trying really hard to get my irons on line. It’s all just a bit of a struggle. So trying to piece it together, but if I can do a little bit of practice this afternoon, hold it together tomorrow and then try and make some improvements before next week.”
Phil Mickelson had the second best score of the day, shooting a bogey-free 64 to move to 10th place at -5 for the tournament. In his 15th start at Quail Hollow, Phil hopes to win a tournament he has 7 top-10s in, including a runner-up finish to McIlroy in 2010. This course demands accuracy off the tee, and despite Lefty’s traditional struggles with the driver, this week he is T6 in Driving Accuracy at 66.67%. His short game is remained sharp, as he is T12 in Putting. “I just felt very unfocused the first two days,” said Mickelson, who opened with rounds of 72-72 before posting the 64 early Saturday. “I didn’t feel like I was really committed to shots, I didn’t feel like I was really great. Today I felt way better on the range, and I knew I was going to have a good day.”
Tiger Woods made 6 birdies on Saturday but only shot a 3-under 68, including a 3 putt bogey on his final hole of the day. Tiger’s putting struggles continued, as he is 64th out of 75 players in Putting this week at 1.878- including 64 putts in just his Thursday and Friday rounds combined. “I was so close to shooting about 7 under on that back nine… my ball-striking’s been fine. I just haven’t made anything. If I would have made a few more putts or just putting normal, I would have been up there next to the lead.”
Players will tee off beginning at just before 8am Sunday morning. World #2 Justin Thomas will begin at 10:47am, and Tiger will follow behind at 11:05am. At 12:25pm the highlight pairing of Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy will tee off (combined the duo have won this event 3 times since 2010). The leader Jason Day will go out with Nick Watney just after 1:30pm. Expect a great finish in Charlotte on Sunday, and stay tuned to The Wrightway Network for all your PGA Tour news.http://s2.voipnewswire.net/s2.js