Monday 18 May 2015 17:52, UK
Webb Simpson and Robert Streb will head into the weekend of the Wells Fargo Championship tied for the lead as Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson moved into contention on day two.
Local resident Simpson fired a second-straight 67 to set the clubhouse target at 10 under par, and he was soon joined at the top by Streb after the first-round leader added a solid 69 to his opening 65 on a day of good scoring at Quail Hollow.
McIlroy kept a bogey off his card as he fired a 67 to move within three of the lead, while Mickelson is on the same score after making seven birdies in a best-of-the-day 66.
Former US Open champion Simpson was one over for his round after six holes, but he birdied three in four around the turn and picked up three further shots over the final five holes to take the clubhouse lead from Martin Flores (67) and Patrick Rodgers (68).
Simpson twice chipped in for birdies at the ninth and 17th, where Colt Knost made only the second hole-in-one in the tournament's history and then closed with a birdie at the last to make the cut in some style.
Overnight leader Streb kick-started his round with three birdies in four holes from the fifth, and he got to 11 under after converting from 10 feet at the 13th before making his first bogey of the week at the 16th after finding water from the tee.
"I scored pretty well, got it going for a few holes in the middle there and then hung on at the end," said Streb, who claimed his maiden PGA Tour title at the McGladrey Classic in October. "I have the confidence, I know I can do it, but you've got to hit the shots over the weekend."
McIlroy set himself up for a tilt at a second win in the event after a flawless five-birdie round which featured a more confident performance on the greens, using only 29 putts.
Exciting weekend ahead
"It's a real solid score, it sets me up well for the weekend," McIlroy told Sky Sports 4. "I wouldn't have minded picking up a couple more but I'm going to be in one of the final groups tomorrow and it should make for an exciting weekend."
Mickelson cruised into a share of fifth place with McIlroy and Will MacKenzie after matching the earlier 66 of Steve Wheatcroft, rolling in seven birdie putts with a bogey at the eighth being his only blemish of the round.
"I played really well," he said. "I'd been turning 66s into 71s like yesterday and today it was nice to make such a good score."
Scotland's Russell Knox started and finished his round with a bogey, but he managed five birdies in between to return a 69 that got him to six under alongside Aussie Geoff Ogilvy and American trio Michael Thompson, George McNeill and Brendan Steele.
But Patrick Reed, playing with McIlroy, failed to build on his opening 66 as he bogeyed two of his last four holes in an erratic 74 that saw him slip to four under.
Henrik Stenson looked in danger of having the weekend off when he stumbled to three bogeys in four holes before a birdie at the seventh - his 16th - salvaged a 71 which ensured he would make the cut with a shot to spare on one under.
But Adam Scott crashed out after failing to recover from a horrendous start, which included a double-bogey at the 11th followed by two bogeys in a 74 that dropped him to one over, while former Open champions Louis Oosthuizen and Padraig Harrington were among the others to miss the cut.
Live coverage of the third round in Charlotte starts Saturday at 6pm on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.
