Rory McIlroy heads into the final day of the Wells Fargo Championship one shot behind Xander Schauffele after Saturday’s challenging third round in Charlotte.
Schauffele has led after each of the first three rounds but managed only a one-under 70 Saturday at Quail Hollow. McIlroy, who has won the Wells Fargo three times, posted a bogey-free, four-under 67 to zap most of Schauffele’s four-shot cushion entering the weekend.
Sungjae Im of South Korea (69) is in third at eight-under-par after hitting the top of the flagstick with his tee shot at the par 3 17th and holing out for par from the bunker at number 18.
Schauffele’s only birdies came at the par 5 seventh hole and the short par 4 14th. He found a greenside bunker at the par 4 12th and couldn’t get up and down for par.
Schauffele said his day was "not as clean" as his 64-67 start to the week.
“Some sleepy wedges in there unfortunately, some really good up-and-downs, kind of a mixed bag,” the world number four said. “Definitely made it harder on myself, is what it felt like from being in some good spots in the fairway.”
McIlroy took advantage by making birdies at numbers 5, 9, 10 and 14. He dialled in his approach shot at number five and landed his ball inside four feet; with a wedge for his second shot at the 14th, he rolled his approach to less than two feet.
The world number two, who won the tournament in 2010, 2015 and 2021, has not made a bogey since Thursday.
“I think I’ve held out pretty well for the most part inside six feet, and then I think because I know this golf course so well, I’ve missed it in the right spots when I have missed the green,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, to play two rounds in a row on this golf course in these conditions bogey free is a bit of a feather in my cap.”
McIlroy and Austria’s Sepp Straka (67) were the only players to shoot better than two under on the day as the course showed its teeth. Straka elevated himself to fourth place at seven under by making four of his seven birdies over his final six holes.
Ireland’s Séamus Power also had a good day as he shot one-under to get to even par and tied 24th, while Shane Lowry was well back, tied 53rd at six over.
But Sunday, fans' attention will zero in on two of the world's best as they go head-to-head in the final group for the second straight day.
“I’m going to have to earn it [Sunday]. I’ve got Rory breathing down my neck,” said Schauffele, looking for his first victory since July 2022. “I’ll look at the leaderboard here shortly, but yeah, I think if I strike the ball the way I did today off the tee and just a little more focus coming into the greens, picking the spots and then going through my process a little better, should be in a good shape.”
On the LPGA Tour, it will also be a shootout as Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom leads on 19 under by one from Rose Zhang, who is 10 shots ahead of third place. Leona Maguire had a better day on Saturday and shot 71, she is three under and just inside the top 25.
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