The PGA Tour needs a rebound week after an underwhelming Zurich Classic, and the early leaderboard at the Wells Fargo Championship has some big names on the first page. The annual stop at Quail Hollow always draws a solid field, and this year’s tourney marked the return to action for both Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy.
2014 Wells Fargo Championship leaderboard: Phil Mickelson making late charge at Quail Hollow
Phil Mickelson has had an uncharacteristically lackluster start to the season, but he’s making a move early at Wells Fargo and just one shot back of morning clubhouse leader Angel Cabrera.
Richard Heathcote
Mickelson has had an uncharacteristically poor first quarter of the year. He usually picks up a win, or least repeatedly contends during the pre-Masters set of tournaments but he was a total non-factor during that stretch this year. Injuries played a part, but he was also wild off the tee and unsharp around the green, including his first missed cut at Augusta since 1997. After a two-week break, the five-time major winner has come out firing on a redesigned and touched-up Quail Hollow that he called “perfect” on Wednesday.
Mickelson is 5-under through through his first 10 holes, going out with a bogey-free 32 and then adding a red number at the par-5 10th to start the back nine. He’s just one shot off the early pace set by Angel Cabrera, who’s in the house at 6-under. Mickelson has another par-5 ahead of him at the 15th, but also faces the teeth of the course and the tough “Green Mile” finishing stretch. Even before the Tom Fazio redesign, Mickelson called this one of the best tee-to-green courses he’s ever played, if not the best. So it’s a track that suits his eye, and maybe this is the week he finally pulls it together in advance of the season’s “fifth major” next week and the all-important U.S. Open down the road in North Carolina.
McIlroy is also in the red at 3-under, settling in to an early T7 spot on the leaderboard. It’s less of a surprise to see Rory right there, given his form so far in 2014. He’s in a different place with his game, contending again after that ugly 2013 season. He’s yet to convert a win following some weekend giveaways on both the Euro and PGA circuits. It will be a shock if the 2010 winner isn’t in position here come this weekend. We may not get that ridiculous course record round of 62 on Sunday, which he fired to run away by four shots in his first PGA Tour win here in 2010, but even mediocre putting should keep Rory hanging around the top 10 by Sunday.
It’s a little startling to see Cabrera at the top of a non-major leaderboard. El Pato has the uncanny ability to play in obscurity at these annual Tour events, and then pop up to contend or win majors. While he’s got plenty of wins around the world, when it comes to the PGA Tour, he’s got just two victories -- a U.S. Open and Masters. Cabrera rolled to the early lead in the morning wave, with the wind relatively down and scoring conditions a bit better than what the afternoon guys are getting. Mickelson, however, is closing in with eight more holes to play. Here’s a snapshot of the leaderboard late in the day:
Place | Player | Score | Through |
1 | Angel Cabrera | -6 | F |
T2 | Jonathan Byrd | -4 | F |
T2 | Stewart Cink | -4 | F |
T2 | Martin Flores | -4 | 12 |
T2 | Phil Mickelson | -4 | 9 |
T2 | Martin Laird | -4 | 8 |
T7 | Shawn Stefani | -3 | F |
T7 | Martin Kaymer | -3 | F |
T7 | Vijay Singh | -3 | F |
T7 | Kevin Na | -3 | F |
T7 | Charles Howell III | -3 | F |
T7 | Rory McIlroy | -3 | F |
T7 | Hideki Matsuyama | -3 | F |
T7 | Carl Pettersson | -3 | 11 |
T7 | Webb Simpson | -3 | 10 |
T17 | David Hearn | -2 | F |
T17 | Scott Langley | -2 | F |
T17 | Daniel Summerhays | -2 | F |
T17 | J.B. Holmes | -2 | F |
T7 | Brian Harman | -3 | 13 |
T17 | Rory Sabbatini | -2 | 11 |
T17 | Justin Rose | -2 | 9 |
T17 | Jeff Overton | -2 | 8 |
T17 | Billy Hurley III | -2 | 7 |
T17 | Ben Martin | -2 | 5 |
T26 | Jim Renner | -1 | F |
T26 | Brice Garnett | -1 | F |
T26 | John Merrick | -1 | F |
T26 | Jonas Blixt | -1 | F |
T26 | Gary Woodland | -1 | F |
T26 | Brendon Todd | -1 | F |
T26 | Danny Lee | -1 | F |
T26 | Wes Roach | -1 | F |
T26 | Will Wilcox | -1 | F |
T26 | Bronson La'Cassie | -1 | F |
T26 | Bud Cauley | -1 | F |
T26 | Ted Potter, Jr. | -1 | 11 |
T26 | Ryan Moore | -1 | 9 |
T26 | Retief Goosen | -1 | 9 |
T26 | Padraig Harrington | -1 | 8 |
T26 | John Peterson | -1 | 7 |
T26 | Troy Merritt | -1 | 6 |
T26 | Frank Lickliter II | -1 | 6 |
T26 | Robert Streb | -1 | 6 |
T45 | Brian Stuard | E | F |
T45 | Stephen Ames | E | F |
T45 | Chad Collins | E | F |
T45 | Josh Teater | E | F |
T45 | Ricky Barnes | E | F |
T45 | Mark Wilson | E | F |
T45 | Kevin Streelman | E | F |
T45 | D.A. Points | E | F |
T45 | Mike Weir | E | F |
T45 | Hunter Mahan | E | F |
T45 | Sang-Moon Bae | E | F |
T45 | Harrison Frazar | E | F |
T45 | Spencer Levin | E | 12 |
T45 | Tommy Gainey | E | 11 |
T45 | Woody Austin | E | 11 |
T45 | Geoff Ogilvy | E | 11 |
T45 | Jim Furyk | E | 10 |
T45 | Zach Johnson | E | 10 |
T45 | Scott Brown | E | 10 |
T45 | Lee Westwood | E | 9 |
T45 | Brendan Steele | E | 8 |
T45 | Joe Ogilvie | E | 8 |
T45 | Chris Stroud | E | 7 |
T45 | William McGirt | E | 7 |
T72 | Tim Wilkinson | 1 | 7 |
T45 | Kevin Kisner | E | 7 |
T45 | Kevin Tway | E | 5 |
T45 | Dustin Bray | E | 6 |
T72 | Jason Bohn | 1 | F |
T72 | John Rollins | 1 | F |
T72 | Kevin Chappell | 1 | F |
T72 | Robert Allenby | 1 | F |
T72 | Y.E. Yang | 1 | F |
T72 | Charlie Wi | 1 | F |
T72 | Camilo Villegas | 1 | F |
T72 | Robert Karlsson | 1 | F |
T72 | Nicholas Thompson | 1 | F |
T72 | Pat Perez | 1 | F |
T72 | Morgan Hoffmann | 1 | F |
T72 | Lee Williams | 1 | F |
T72 | Kevin Foley | 1 | F |
T97 | Michael Putnam | 2 | 14 |
T72 | Roberto Castro | 1 | 13 |
T72 | Michael Thompson | 1 | 11 |
T72 | Brian Gay | 1 | 11 |
T72 | Ernie Els | 1 | 10 |
T72 | Derek Ernst | 1 | 9 |
T72 | Justin Hicks | 1 | 7 |
T72 | Nicolas Colsaerts | 1 | 7 |
T72 | Ben Kohles | 1 | 6 |
T72 | Harold Varner, III | 1 | 6 |
T72 | Andrew Svoboda | 1 | 6 |
T72 | Kelly Mitchum | 1 | 6 |
T97 | Gonzalo Fdez-Castano | 2 | F |
T97 | Kyle Stanley | 2 | F |
T97 | Jhonattan Vegas | 2 | F |
T97 | Jimmy Walker | 2 | F |
T97 | Rickie Fowler | 2 | F |
T97 | Matt Jones | 2 | F |
T97 | Charlie Beljan | 2 | F |
T97 | Jason Gore | 2 | F |
T97 | Brian Davis | 2 | F |
T97 | Scott Gardiner | 2 | F |
T97 | Cameron Tringale | 2 | 13 |
T97 | Johnson Wagner | 2 | 11 |
T97 | George McNeill | 2 | 11 |
T97 | Chris Kirk | 2 | 9 |
T97 | K.J. Choi | 2 | 9 |
T97 | Brendon de Jonge | 2 | 7 |
T134 | Jamie Lovemark | 4 | 7 |
T97 | Fielding Brewbaker | 2 | 6 |
T97 | Rod Perry | 2 | 6 |
T97 | Peter Malnati | 2 | 5 |
T117 | James Driscoll | 3 | F |
T117 | Scott McCarron | 3 | F |
T117 | Lucas Glover | 3 | F |
T117 | Bill Haas | 3 | F |
T117 | Chesson Hadley | 3 | F |
T117 | Davis Love III | 3 | F |
T117 | Nick Watney | 3 | F |
T117 | Jamie Donaldson | 3 | F |
T117 | Sean O'Hair | 3 | 14 |
T117 | Greg Chalmers | 3 | 13 |
T134 | Stuart Appleby | 4 | 11 |
T117 | Scott Stallings | 3 | 10 |
T117 | J.J. Henry | 3 | 8 |
T117 | Andres Romero | 3 | 8 |
T117 | Thorbjorn Olesen | 3 | 8 |
T117 | Tyrone van Aswegen | 3 | 6 |
T134 | James Hahn | 4 | F |
T134 | Seung-yul Noh | 4 | F |
T134 | Darren Clarke | 4 | F |
T134 | Jim Herman | 4 | F |
T134 | Hunter Green | 4 | F |
T134 | Bo Van Pelt | 4 | 14 |
T117 | Steve Marino | 3 | 14 |
T117 | Richard Lee | 3 | 14 |
T134 | Jason Kokrak | 4 | 13 |
T134 | Peter Hanson | 4 | 13 |
T134 | Ben Crane | 4 | 12 |
T134 | Will MacKenzie | 4 | 12 |
T134 | D.H. Lee | 4 | 12 |
T134 | Russell Henley | 4 | 9 |
T148 | Heath Slocum | 5 | F |
T148 | Hudson Swafford | 5 | F |
T148 | Andrew Loupe | 5 | F |
T148 | Paul Goydos | 5 | 14 |
T148 | David Lingmerth | 5 | 13 |
T148 | Ben Curtis | 5 | 11 |
T148 | Trevor Immelman | 5 | 8 |
155 | Troy Matteson | 7 | F |
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