Wells Fargo Championship 2018: Peter Malnati Leads After Round 2

Peter Malnati is in sole possession of the 36-hole lead following two rounds of play at the Wells Fargo Championship. 

Malnati, who shot four under during Thursday's opening round, followed up with a three-under 68 Friday at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, and now sits at a seven-under overall. 

Aaron Wise and Jason Day are holding steady in a tie for second place at six under. 

Here's a look at the top of the leaderboard entering moving day, with scores for all participants available through PGATour.com: 

• 1. Peter Malnati, -7
• T-2. Aaron Wise, -6
• T-2. Jason Day, -6 
• T-4. Paul Casey, -5
• T-4. Charl Schwartzel, -5
• 6. Johnson Wagner, -4
• T-7. Sam Saunders, -3
• T-7. Kyle Stanley, -3
• T-7. Nick Watney, -3
• T-7. Charles Howell III, -3  

Wise, the 2016 NCAA individual champion at Oregon, opened his day with a four-under 32 on the back nine that included birdies at No. 11, No. 14, No. 15 and the par-four 18th: 

That strong start laid the foundation for Wise's second consecutive 68, and it gave him some margin for error as he managed a pair of bogeys and just one birdie on the front nine. 

"That set up my day," Wise said of his effort on the front nine, according to the PGA Tour. "I actually felt like I left a couple out there on the back nine. To get to 16, 17, 18 at one under was huge."

Not to be overlooked was Day, who joined Wise at six under with a rock-solid 67. 

One of the steadiest players in the field Friday, the Australian managed just one bogey (No. 11) to go with three birdies and a stellar hole-out for eagle on No. 10: 

Further down the leaderboard, Tiger Woods continued to struggle a day after shooting even-par 71. 

Although he had birdie opportunities galore, Woods repeatedly failed to convert makable putts and sputtered his way to a two-over 73 that kept him just inside the cut line. 

In fact, Woods' lone birdie of the round on No. 9—his final hole of the day—saved his chances of playing the weekend, as the PGA Tour documented on Twitter: 

Still, that effort didn't help his statistical profile much, according to Golf Channel's Justin Ray and Ryan Lavner: 

"I've hit it well enough to be right next to that lead," Woods said, per Golf Channel's Nick Menta. "And if I can just putt—literally, if I just putt normal, I'm probably 5 or 6 under par. I've missed so many putts. Putts I missed yesterday, I was blocking them, trying to hit them the right pace. Today, I was pulling them, trying to hit them harder, try to put more hit in my stroke and release the toe of my putter, and I just wasn't doing it right today."

Woods, who's coming off a one-over par finish at the Masters, will try and work his way into red numbers this weekend and build a bit of momentum before turning his attention to The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.