CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Xander Schauffele has been a mainstay near the top of the leaderboard for most of the year. Now he hopes to close the door.
Schauffele shot a 4-under 67 on Friday after opening with a 64, leaving him at 11-under 131 and four shots ahead of Rory McIlroy and Jason Day heading into the weekend at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Taylor Moore and Sungjae Im each shot five shots at 6 under.
Schauffele, 30, has seven top-10 finishes this season but no wins. He is looking to break a winning streak that dates back to July 2022 at the Genesis Scottish Open.
“I got a few knocks on the door and I just tell myself to keep knocking,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele said the drought is something he’s always thinking about, but added that the hardest part is staying in the present.
“You just have to recognize the situation you’re in and realize you’re playing good golf and sometimes get out of your own way,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele’s was locked most of the day.
He hit 15 greens and his only hiccup came when he made bogey on the 18th hole while trying to rush to finish his round and beat a thunderstorm that would suspend play for about an hour. Play eventually resumed, but Schauffele feared he would have to wake up early to play a shot or two and then wait several hours to play his third round on Saturday.
“It’s stupid to say, but I’d rather take the 5 right now, after hitting such a bad chip, rather than waking up super early and having to restart the day,” Schauffele said. “It’s all good.”
McIlroy entered the day three shots behind Schauffele, but managed to lose ground despite not making bogey. McIlroy finished with a 68. He had several opportunities to pressure Schauffele but missed some possible shots.
Still, the Northern Ireland star left feeling good about his game.
“It looked like I probably could have gotten a few more in the round, but any time you can get around this bogey-free golf course is always going to be a decent day,” said McIlroy, who teamed with Shane Lowry to win the Zurich Classic . two weeks ago.
The second-ranked player in the world has had some spectacular weekend performances at Quail Hollow, including a club-record 61 in 2015. He closed with a 62 in 2010 to win his first PGA Tour title.
He said he will lean on them as he seeks to capture Schauffele.
“Anytime you’re playing a golf course where you’ve had very low scores, you know it’s there,” McIlroy said. “The golf course is playing a lot differently this week than it did in 2010 and 2015, but I know if I stick around I can make some birdies and chase it.”
McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the event and said the course simply suits his game well because it allows him to take advantage of the distance off the tee.
“I had so many good memories here, I feel positive vibes,” McIlroy said. “I feel good about myself when I’m walking around here.”
Day also had a 67. The Australian has struggled of late, with just one top-25 finish in his last six events.
“I’ve had a streak over the last month and a half, two months where it’s just been bad play, bad hitting,” Day said. “I’ve been missing a lot of putts on the fairway approach to the green, not necessarily the driver. It’s weird, it’s kind of weird to drive decently well and hit it badly when you get onto the greens.”
Max Homa, the only player other than McIlroy with multiple Wells Fargo Championship wins, was eight shots behind after a 70. Justin Thomas was also at 3 under after a 71.
