CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Xander Schauffele has been a workhorse near the top of the leaderboard for most of the year. Now he wants to close the door.
After starting with a 64 on Friday, Schauffele shot a 4-under 67 for an 11-under 131 and a four-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Jason Day heading into this weekend's Wells Fargo Championship.
Taylor Moore and Im Sung-jae were 5 strokes apart at 6 under.
Schauffele, 30, has seven top-10 finishes this season but no wins. He is looking to end a winning streak that dates back to the Genesis Scottish Open in July 2022.
“I've had a few knocks on the door, but I tell myself to keep knocking,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele added that he thinks about the drought all the time, but the hardest part is staying in the present.
“You have to recognize the situation you're in, know you're playing good golf and get out of your own way sometimes,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele's home was locked up for most of the day.
He hit 15 greens, but the only hiccup was when he hit bogey on the 18th hole while rushing to finish his round and ride out a storm that suspended play for about an hour. Play eventually resumed, but Schauffele woke up early to play a shot or two and was concerned he would have to wait several hours before playing Saturday's third round.
“It's stupid to say, but I'd rather take a 5 at this point after a bad chip than have to wake up super early and reset my day,” Schauffele said. . “It's okay.”
McIlroy entered the day with a three-stroke lead over Schauffele, but although he didn't hit a bogey, he dropped down the rankings. McIlroy finished with a 68. He had several chances to put pressure on Schauffele, but he missed several putts that could have been made.
Still, the Northern Ireland star left feeling satisfied with his performance.
McIlroy, who won the Zurich Classic with Shane Lowry, said: “I felt like I could have been a couple more shots out of the round, but any time you can get around this golf course without a bogey, it's a decent day.'' It will be,” he said. 2 weeks ago.
The world No. 2 player has had some impressive weekend performances at Quail Hollow so far, including scoring a club-record 61 in 2015. He closed out 2010 with a 62 to win his first PGA Tour title.
He said he will rely on them as he sets his sights on capturing Schauffele.
“Whenever you're playing on the golf course and you hit a really low score, you know it's there,” McIlroy said. “This week's golf course play is a lot different than it was in 2010 or 2015, but I know if I hit my stride here I can get some birdies and chase him down.”
McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the tournament and said the course simply suits his game well as he can take advantage of the distance off the tee.
“I've had a lot of good memories here. I feel like there's a positive vibe,” McIlroy said. “I feel good when I walk here.”
Day also shot a 67. The Australian has struggled recently, finishing in the top 25 only once in the past six tournaments.
“The last month and a half, two months, I've been playing poorly and hitting poorly,” Day said. “I've been losing a ton of strokes, not necessarily with my driver, but on my field approach to the green. It's weird. Sometimes you're driving decently well, but then you hit a bad shot going into the green. The meaning is strange.”
Max Homa, the only player other than McIlroy to win multiple Wells Fargo Championships, shot a 70 and was eight strokes back. Justin Thomas also shot a 71 to be 3 under.
