Wells Fargo Championship 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Friday
Webb Simpson and Robert Streb are dead even atop the leaderboard, at 10 under par at the Wells Fargo Championship, but there are a couple of marquee names circling that top spot like sharks.
Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both turned in excellent rounds Friday and are within three strokes of the leaders at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here is a look at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds:
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Streb came into the second round with the lead after a brilliant seven-under 65 on Thursday, but he came back down to earth a bit Friday with a three-under 69. It brought his two-round total to 10 under par for the tournament.
Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer was firmly in Streb's corner:
As for Simpson, he has been a model of consistency thus far and shot a five-under 67 for the second consecutive round. He made up the most ground on the four par-fives with a birdie at each of them, which helped him overcome bogeys on Nos. 3 and 6.
Simpson also pointed out that he has something of a home-course advantage in this tournament:
While Simpson and Streb battled for the lead, Mickelson made a charge Friday with a sparkling six-under 66 to bring his tournament total to seven under par. He is firmly in contention for a title now after a steady 71 in the first round.
Mickelson birdied six holes Friday and tallied a single bogey, but it was his putter that saved him on multiple occasions. Justin Ray of the Golf Channel provided the statistics, while the PGA Tour passed along one of the left-hander's impressive finishes:
Mickelson wasn't the only marquee name to make noise Friday.
World No. 1 McIlroy played a bogey-free round on the way to a five-under 67. He is only three strokes off the lead at seven under par and is a legitimate threat to take home the title over the weekend if he plays like he did in the second round.
McIlroy was on the fortunate side of some lucky bounces off trees on Nos. 3 and 12, but he made his mark on the par-fives. In fact, McIlroy birdied three of the four par-fives and continued his career dominance at Quail Hollow (where he won his first Tour event five years ago).
Ray pointed out just how dominant McIlroy is at this course:
McIlroy discussed his round, per Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel:
“I've actually gotten a lot better at staying patient. It's just knowing from experience what a good score is. I felt like I could have shot 63 or 64, but realizing 67 is still a good score and puts me in a great position going into the weekend.”
The fact that McIlroy is in a great position moving into the weekend is a problem for the rest of the field.
McIlroy and Mickelson are well within striking distance, but Adam Scott, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh were among the notables who missed the cut. Scott's round was particularly disappointing because he shot a two-over 74 after Thursday's one-under 71 and missed the even-par cut by a single stroke.
The most dramatic moment regarding the cut line came on No. 17 when Colt Knost drilled a hole-in-one to bring his score to even par for the tournament. The PGA Tour shared a highlight of Knost's brilliant shot that earned him a spot for the weekend:
Knost birdied the final hole as well and just made the cut at one under par after a 68 on Friday. Ray put his incredible finish into perspective:
While Knost had the most dramatic conclusion Friday, there is plenty of drama on tap for golf fans for moving day Saturday and the final round Sunday.
McIlroy's and Mickelson's presences near the top of the leaderboard puts exponentially more pressure on Streb, Simpson and the rest of the contenders, even if this is Simpson's home course. McIlroy and Mickelson were both on top of their respective games Friday and will look to parlay that into another impressive round Saturday.
McIlroy, in particular, is a threat to win, considering he is the world's top-ranked player and already has a victory at the Dubai Desert Classic and the Match Play Championship as well as a fourth-place finish at the Masters.
Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel suggested that McIlroy's charge is just beginning:
No. 1 is on the prowl, and the rest of the field is officially on notice.
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