Peter Malnati simply wanted to take it easy on the golf course and because of that he now hopes to hold up to the pressure on the weekend.
The 30-year-old Malnati shot 3-under-par 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Jason Day of Australia and Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore midway through the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
“Honestly, the biggest thing that’s different this week from kind of the last couple years for me is just I’m more relaxed,” said Malnati, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 2015 Sanderson Farms Championship. “I’m feeling good, I’m confident with what I’ve been doing, and I’m kind of letting it show on the course rather than letting it stress me out.
“I’ve been trying to kind of embrace just being a little more calm and relaxed on the golf course this week. It will be a good test tomorrow to see how I feel walking to that first tee. I’m sure there will be some nerves, but I’ll definitely be excited and I’ll be able to hang on to some of this calm that I felt these first two days.”
Malnati, who also won twice on the Web.com Tour, made birdies on two of his last three holes to record a 36-hole score of 7-under 135.
Day, playing as well has he has since winning the Farmers Insurance Open early this year and tying for second the following week AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am a week later, holed a bunker shot from 98 feet for an eagle on the 10th hole in a 67, while Wise had four quick birdies after starting on the front nine on his way to a 68.
Charl Schwartzel of South Africa collected six birdies in a 67 and is two shots back in a tie for fourth with Paul Casey of England, who shot 68, while Johnson Wagner totaled 71 and is one more down in solo sixth.
Nick Watney of Davis and Fresno State carded a bogey-free 67 and is four strokes behind in a tie for seventh with Charles Howell III (68), Kyle Stanley (72), Sam Saunders (69), Sam Burns (70) and Emiliano Grillo (71) of Argentina.
Sixth-ranked Rickie Fowler of Murrieta is tied for 20th after a 69, and second-ranked Justin Thomas shot 69 and is in a tie for 28th that includes 10th-ranked Patrick Reed, who had a 71, and first-round leader John Peterson, who struggled to a 77.
Tiger Woods holed a 13-foot birdie putt on his last hole that for a while seemed to be only enough to make the cut on the number, but he wound up making it by two in a tie for 48th that includes seventh-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who finished at 76, and Phil Mickelson, who wound up at 72.
Eighth-ranked Hideki Matsuyama of Japan bounced back from a 77 with a 68 that included three late birdies, to make the cut on the number in a tie for 69th.
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