Once Jason Day got going, there was no stopping him
The 30-year-old Aussie got off to a slow start, but then birdied six of the last 10 holes to shoot 4-under-par 67 and take a two-stroke lead over Nick Watney heading to the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.
“It was a bit of a struggle for eight holes, I couldn’t get anything going, but then I hit a nice shot at No. 9 for a tap-in birdie and that got things going in the right direction,” said Day, who this week is playing his best golf since winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and tying for second in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year.
“I knew it was going to turn around, it was just a matter of staying patient. Tomorrow is going to be a challenge because there are a lot of good players up there trying to win. I’ve got the pressure on my shoulders, but I would rather be in this position than chasing.”
Day, who has 11 PGA Tour victories, posted a 54-hole score of 10-under 203.
Watney, from Davis and Fresno State, overcame a double-bogey 7 on the 10th hole in an otherwise flawless 68 as he tries to win for the first time since the 2012 Barclays.
Peter Uihlein sank a 14-foot eagle putt on the 10th hole in a blistering 62 and is three shots back in a tie for third with Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, who shot 66, Paul Casey of England, who totaled 69, and Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore, who came in at 70.
Sam Saunders carded a 68 and is one more behind in a tie for seventh with Johnson Wagner, who had a 69, and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, who finished at 70, while Phil Mickelson holed a 29-foot eagle putt at No. 10 en route to a 64 that left him five behind in solo 10th.
Tenth-ranked Patrick Reed shot 67 and is in a tie for 11th that includes Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, who had a 68, while Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, a two-time winner at Quail Hollow, is tied for 16th after a 66.
Tiger Woods, who won this tournament in 2007, posted a 68 and is in a tie for 31st that includes second-ranked Justin Thomas, the 2017 PGA champion at Quail Hollow, who had a 70, while eight-ranked Hideki totaled 72 and missed the secondary cut in a tie for 69th.
Defending champion Brian Harman is tied for 40th after a 68.
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