Xander Schauffele (-12) is sweeping Quail Hollow. The world number five is offering an undeniable performance and leads with great authority after the first two days of the Wells Fargo Championship.
The Californian player leads by four strokes in this sixth designated tournament of the season. There is a lot, a lot ahead, but the reality is that if he manages to maintain the level, it will be very difficult for him to miss his first victory in almost 22 months. Since Schauffele swept two years ago with a streak of almost three consecutive victories, he has not found victory again.
In the preview of the tournament, Xander was begging for a perfect week, for now, things couldn’t be going better for him. The spirit of the absent Scottie Scheffler is taking over Xander to dominate with an iron hand.
The player from La Jolla today has delivered an almost immaculate card of 67 strokes for a total of twelve under par. Everything was going smoothly with five birdies but on the last flag came the only but of the day. There is only one hole that resists him in these first two days of competition. He has made two bogeys in the entire tournament and both have fallen on hole 18, which yesterday ended his first round and today closed the day.
In this case, the expression to dominate the tournament with an iron hand fits like a glove since it is precisely the irons with which they are cementing their advantage. He is being the best of the tournament in greens in regulation (28/36) and that despite the fact that he is not very fine from the tee. He has barely hunted 50% of the streets, although the mistakes are being minimal. There are not a few outings where the ball has rested in a first cut of rough not dangerous for these players. From there he has played like the angels and around the green there has not been any other player who matches his figures.
Those small adjustments from the tee can be caused by that work he has been doing in recent months with which, is his new coach along with his father, Chris Como, and with which he is trying to gain some more speed with the ball. The results are unbeatable as this year he is the player with the most top 10 on the circuit only surpassed by the titan Scheffler.
There is a lot of tournament ahead and without Xander the truth is that the table would be beautiful. There are twenty players within four strokes. Among them stand out Rory McIlroy and Jason Day (-7) tied for second place.
The Northern Irishman has lived a very different round than yesterday. On the first day, he suffered a last ten holes of a real roller coaster. Today, order and calm have prevailed in the round of the world number two who has achieved a solid round of 68 strokes without any bogey along the way. Along with Rory, the Australian Jason Day has signed today 67 strokes with six birdies and two bogeys.
This week Quail Hollow is proving very demanding, only half of the tournament players are managing to defeat the field after the first 36 holes and it is expected that the weekend, if the storm does not prevent it, the greens continue to gain firmness and become even more complicated.
‘No news from Holland’ says the song and we could well apply it to Hovland. The Norwegian continues to be absent so far this season and today he has completed in Charlotte his second consecutive round of 72 strokes. Right now Viktor is number 100 in the FedExCup and we have already been more than five months into the season. The second Major of the season is just around the corner and Hovland continues to be missing in action.
The defending champion, Wyndham Clark (+4), is in 54th place far from the leading positions. He will have the weekend to try to make up the result. Remember that in this designated event there is no cut after today’s round.
The day could not be finished due to a storm that arrived at Quail Hollow earlier than expected. Among those who have not been able to finish, a Collin Morikawa (-6) stands out, who was on the last hole of the day and one stroke from second place. The Californian extends in Charlotte his great moment of form.
