Round 2 complete: Malnati maintains lead, Hammer makes cut

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Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte has been the host since the creation of the event in 2003 and plays 7,544 yards to a Par-71. The 2017 WFC was played at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, NC.  Know Thy Enemy These were the top-10 picked golfers in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf game presented by SERVPRO. With swirling winds and tricky pin positions, John Peterson holds the lead alone after posting 65 (-6). Only 33 players are in red figures and only three of them occupy the list above. McIlroy is the low-man of the group with 68 followed by Finau and Day with 69. People’s Choice Rickie Fowler was the clear choice this week by gamers by almost 20 percent. While I don’t think that is a wrong decision, I’m curious how McIlroy was the THIRD choice here. Fowler, who defeated McIlroy and D.A. Points in a playoff here in 2012 to win on TOUR for the first time, hasn’t won this season but was coming off a back-door runner up at the Masters. Fowler hit 14-of-18 greens and was seventh in proximity yet only made one birdie against two bogeys for 72 (T59). If his putter warms up, he’ll be fine, so he’s sticking in my lineup. The Landlord The THIRD choice this week is the guy who holds the tournament record (-21), the course record TWICE (62, 2010; 61, 2015) and is the only multiple champ at this event. Rory McIlroy only hit four of 14 fairways but managed 14 of 18 GIR. He birdied all three par fives and had the putter rolling (T22, SG: putting) for his 68 (T7). On the Prowl He hasn’t visited Quail Hollow Club since 2012 (MC) but the 2007 champion Tiger Woods gave his investors hope in Round 1 with 71 (E). The one aspect I’ve taken away from Woods in this latest comeback is the tracks he is playing. Plain and simple, they’re not easy. I haven’t seen THAT nine holes yet where he’s circling birdies for fun. He’s grinding and, just as I predicted in my preview, is frustrated with the greens, their grain and speed. He finished No. 119 in SG: putting and yet is T34. Not the Norm, Peterson Texan John Peterson made back-to-back eagles late in Round 1 to post 65 (-6) and a two-shot lead. He was the second player to have back-to-back eagles on the day but the only one leading. Playing on a Major Medical Exemption, Peterson has only eight events this season to earn 274 FedExCup points to keep his full privileges. After playing five events he’s earned 20 of those 274 so a big result this week would go a very long way. Defending Champions The event defending champion is Brian Harman who won last year at Eagle Point Golf Club. Harman leads the TOUR in top-10 finishes this year so if you didn’t know that he didn’t win on this track last year, you’ve still picked a good one. He posted 72 and is T59. … The last player to win on this track at the 2017 PGA Championship was Justin Thomas. He sits T79 as he only found 10 GIR and checked in at 102nd in SG: putting. Gamers won’t like to hear that Round 2 is his worst scoring average of the four this season. He’ll need something positive to avoid missing his second straight weekend. Home Cookin’ Charlotte resident Johnson Wagner (T2) also made back-to-back eagles and added a birdie as he played his first six holes in five-under-par. He gave a couple back on “The Green Mile” (Holes Nos. 16-18) before playing the front in one-under 34. His 67 was his second best loop here in 33 rounds proving that home court advantage doesn’t mean much. His best finish in the previous 11 tries is T28.  Shock and Awe There are six players that are four-under or better after Round 1. Quail Hollow Club annually plays as one of the most difficult on TOUR so riddle me this: Study Hall The only two bogey-free rounds were turned in by Keegan Bradley (68) and Sam Burns (69). … Patrick Reed (71) didn’t make any birdies either but did have a double bogey. … Round 1 played 72.883 (+1.883). … Andrew Landry, winner at the Valero Texas Open two weeks ago, WD after Round 1 with an illness. … Martin Piller was a last-minute WD last week as he was headed home for the birth of his first child. He’s back playing this week but the #NappyFactor stork must have missed his house as he posted 75.

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PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – From Brooks Koepka’s perspective, nobody in the field through three rounds of The Open Championship has been better tee-to-green. “I’ve hit it as good as I could possibly imagine,â€� he said. But … “I’ve putted the worst in the entire field. … It’s been really bad. Very frustrating. Disappointed.â€� And yet, there he is, still looming near the top of the leaderboard. Koepka’s 4-under 67 on Saturday at Royal Portrush leaves him at 9 under for the tournament and in a tie for fourth with Justin Rose. The bad news is that he’ll start Sunday’s final round seven shots off the lead held by Irishman Shane Lowry. For the player who’s gone 1-T2-1-2 in his last four major starts, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility for Koepka to make his presence felt at Royal Portrush. Yes, he’s well back of Lowry, who has a four-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood. The tournament is in Lowry’s hands, not Koepka’s, going into the final round. RELATED: Tee times | Tough weather conditions in store | McDowell: Rory ‘won himself a lot of fans’ | Schauffele’s driver non-conforming But if Lowry stumbles – which he did three years ago after holding a four-shot lead through three rounds of the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont – then Koepka has just two players to hurdle: Fleetwood, who’s 12 under, and J.B. Holmes at 10 under. “It’s just not the week I’ve been looking for, not the week that I’ve expected,â€� Koepka said. “But at the same time, there’s one more round, so I need to figure it out.â€� Bad weather will help. Strong winds and potential rain are in the forecast, and that’s potentially good news for the chase pack. In perfect conditions Saturday, Lowry shot an 8-under 63, tying for the second-lowest score in major championship history. Another perfect day would make things easier for him. “You need some wind, you need some rain,â€� Koepka said. “You need anything that can kind of go your way. And that’s got to be an advantage – especially the way I’m striking the ball. I’ve struck it so good. If it’s going to be windy, you need to be able to strike it good, control your flight and figure out where you want the ball to end up. If it’s going to blow 30 (mph), it can get out of control very quickly.â€� Rose, in the same boat as Koepka, knows it’s just a matter of picking off the guys ahead of him and taking advantage if Lowry has a bad day. “Whenever some guy’s stretch the lead, I’ve always said, where’s second place? …â€� Rose said. “You never know what the leader is going to do. You’ve always got to look at where the chasing pack is and stay relevant to that.â€� That chasing pack is led by fellow Englishman Fleetwood thanks to his bogey-free 66 on Saturday. Fleetwood’s putter has been more effective than Koepka’s this week. He’ll also have the benefit of keeping Lowry in his sights, as the two are paired in the final group. Of course, that means he’ll also have to deal with all the support that Lowry will receive Sunday. It was a crazy scene on Saturday as Lowry rode the emotional Irish backing in the final group with Holmes. No reason to think it will be different in the final round. “I’m very happy to have that challenge,â€� Fleetwood said. “If you had said at the start of today, at the start of the week, at the start of the year, you’re going into the last round – whether I’m four back, five back, it doesn’t matter — I’m in the last group Sunday at The Open and playing with Shane, and the majority of the crowd might not be with you, I would’ve said fine, ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ “I’m looking forward to it, to be honest with you.â€� Holmes had the front-row view on Saturday and called it “awesomeâ€� to see, a “cool experience.â€� Added Holmes: “I don’t know how many times in history you get the opportunity to witness that or be around that, to have somebody from the home country put a round up like that in an Open. It’s pretty special. Something I’ll never forget.” But in shooting a 69 and losing six shots to Lowry, Holmes now must hope he can at least switch the scores Sunday. No lead, he figures – or at least hopes — is insurmountable in a major. “It’s tough no matter whether you have a one-shot lead or a five-shot lead,â€� Holmes said. “It’s tough to finish off a major. It’s a tough test. So we’ll see.â€�

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