Leaderboard: Fowler, McIlroy back on course

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wind swirled, balls went in the water, and teeth gnashed. Round two at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Friday brought brutally difficult conditions for the afternoon starters, who struggled mightily. With a few exceptions. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside Max Homa’s mind | Rory McIlroy makes move at Wells Fargo Championship Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer, prospective members of the 2022 International Presidents Cup Team that will take on the U.S. at Quail Hollow, shot 68 and 70, respectively. At 4 under (Ortiz) and 3 under (Ancer) overall, they’re right behind the trio of leaders at 6 under. It was good news for them and good news for 2022 International Captain Trevor Immelman, who hosted a team dinner for prospective team members here earlier this week. “A lot,” Ortiz said, when asked how encouraged he was by his performance at Quail. “You know, Trevor talked a lot to us, and it was pretty inspiring the way he talked and definitely pumped me up. It’s something I’m really looking forward to playing. I mean, I think playing good on this golf course helps.” Ortiz jarred his bunker shot at the first hole, birdied three of his first four, and offset two back-nine bogeys with two birdies. He’s in a five-way tie for fifth in a group that also includes, among others, two-time Wells Fargo winner Rory McIlroy (66). Ancer, who is part of a four-way tie for 10th through 36 holes, also won the 2018 Australian Open in windy conditions. Like Ortiz, he lives in Texas and is no stranger to wind, but said the conditions at Quail on Friday afternoon might have been even tougher than they were in Australia. “Yeah, it was I guess pretty similar, but this golf course, it’s a lot harder with wind like this,” he said. “A lot more water, the rough is high. Over there you can definitely miss in some spots and work with the slopes, and here it’s way, way harder to do that, to play with wind out here. “It’s very – almost no room for error, to be honest.” As for the Presidents Cup, Ancer said he’s starting to think about it. “It was nice to see the guys and have dinner with them and with Captain Trevor,” he said. “I know it’s more than a year and a half from now, but we’ve still got to get ready and get some reps in here. It’s always important, it’s a big golf course and it’s good to practice as much as you can.”

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Matthew Fitzpatrick wants to rebrand his 2019 before it’s too late. The 25-year-old is certainly happy with his efforts rounding out the decade, one that saw him earn PGA TOUR membership, but the theme of his year has also had a tone of frustration. Fitzpatrick has notched up three runner-up results on the European Tour in 2019 – including his last start at the Italian Open – and had another on the PGA TOUR at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Related: Leaderboard | Late eagle sees McIlroy flying in China | Scheffler leads Bermuda Championship But a win has eluded the five-time European Tour winner. That might change this weekend after rounds of 66-67 at Sheshan International saw him take the 36-hole lead at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions. Fitzpatrick is no stranger to this position. In fact, he held the same spot at the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational in July. On that occasion, he let Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka reel him in during the third round, and he’d eventually settle for fourth place on Sunday. Koepka, who won in Memphis, isn’t in China. But McIlroy is. And he’s just a shot behind the young Englishman. It took a late flourish for Fitzpatrick to surge to the top. He notched four of his five birdies over the final seven holes of a bogey-free day. The key was his putting. He is a flagstick in-player when it comes to the greens. “The back nine I struggled with the driver a little coming in. (But) I putted fantastic, as good as I’ve putted all year,â€� Fitzpatrick said. “I think (the flag in) focuses me a little better. Just see the line (when) stood over it better and from there you feel comfortable. That’s the big thing in putting and certainly did it on the back nine.â€� If he is to continue to lead the way, Fitzpatrick knows he must find some more accuracy off the tee. With just six of 14 fairways hit on Friday, he knows he pressed his luck. “It’s so important to find the fairways here, because you miss them, you’ve either got a terrible lie and hacking out, or you’ve got a good lie and getting a flyer,â€� he said. “It’s a big key to hit fairways around here and if you can keep doing it, you’ll give yourself more chances.â€�

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