Xander Schauffele, a celebrated Olympic champion, strived to dominate the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow but faced stiff competition. Rory McIlroy, a seasoned contender and three-time winner of the championship, significantly challenged the American player’s quest for his first PGA tour victory following his triumph at the Scottish Open in 2022.
McIlroy demonstrated his skills with a solid bogey-free second-round score of 68, building on his initial score of 67. This caused him to end on a midway total of seven-under-par 135, putting him among the key challengers to Schauffele.
Starting the round on the 10th at par 5, McIlroy swiftly scored a birdie of five foot, following a greenside bunker in two. Further into the game, he skilfully added another birdie at the 15th par 5, where despite missing the green to the left, he executed an admirable chip to within three feet.
However, the latter part of the game proved to be more challenging. He managed to maintain 10 uninterrupted pars from the birdie at the 15th, eventually securing another by driving short of the green and almost securing an eagle on the eighth par 4. Despite a tantalising close call, the ball remained aloft for an easy tap-in birdie.
An opportunity for yet another birdie presented itself at the ninth hole, his final chance. McIlroy used a seven-iron approach, hitting from 175 yards to 12 feet only for his putt to just miss the cup. Anticipating the weekend games, McIlory commented, “It was solid, I felt like I could have squeezed a few more shots… this golf course probably allows more advantage than any other tour course when the ball is driven well”. McIlroy seeks successive victories after winning the Zurich Classic in collaboration with Shane Lowry.
Taylor Moore, last year’s Valspar Championship victor and his solo PGA tour win, remained a powerful contender, securing consecutive scores of 68, which kept him in the running for this prestigious $20 million event.
Moore commented that his physical performance has been stable for a time now and he is more focused on maintaining consistency throughout all four rounds, further improving his performance during significant moments in the game. Additionally, he mentioned his positive start this week and his anticipation for the continuation of his good luck streak.
Turning to the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire performed promisingly in the opening rounds with a score of 66, however, her subsequent score of 76 at the halfway point of the Cognizant Founders Cup was deemed disappointing. As a result, on the grounds of Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey, her two-under-par 142 left her trailing clubhouse leader Rose Zhang by nine strokes.
Despite being well within the cut line after starting in third place, Maguire lost momentum due to the challenging weather conditions where she managed only one birdie and five bogeys.
Zhang, a 20-year-old American professional golfer who juggle university life with tour playing, displayed commendable stamina in what she called ‘gruelling’ conditions. She followed her first round score of 63 with a 68, accumulating a total of 131.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Meadow’s scores of 73 and 75 led to a half-way total of 148, causing her a rare miss of the tournament cut for only the second time this year.
World number one, Nelly Korda, still stands as a strong contender in her quest for a record-breaking sixth consecutive LPGA Tour title. Her ambition is fuelled by the four birdies she scored in her first nine rounds.