Rory McIlroy

The 2021 Wells Fargo Championship is going to come down to the wire Sunday with Keith Mitchell trying to hold off a host of challengers. 

Mitchell posted the lowest score of the third round with a five-under 66. He has already posted more rounds under 70 (two) this weekend than he did in each of his previous two tournaments combined (one). 

Chasing Mitchell at the top is Rory McIlroy, who moved into a tie with Gary Woodland for second place. The 32-year-old is only two shots back at seven under par. Another strong showing in the final round could end his 16-month winless streak. 

2021 Wells Fargo Championship Leaderboard

1. Keith Mitchell (-9)

T2. Gary Woodland (-7)

T2. Rory McIlroy (-7)

4. Luke List (-6)

T5. Satoshi Kodaira (-5)

T5. Scott Stallings (-5)

T7. Abraham Ancer (-4)

T7. Jason Dufner (-4)

T7. Viktor Hovland (-4)

T7. Kyle Stanley (-4)

T7. Patrick Reed (-4)

Mitchell ascended into the lead by playing his first bogey-free round of the weekend. The 29-year-old racked up five birdies Saturday, including three on the back nine. 

After making the turn at two under, Mitchell looked to be in trouble when his second shot on No. 10 landed in the bunker on the left side of the green. He saved it by getting within eight feet of the hole on his next shot, followed by a birdie putt after that. 

Mitchell stretched his lead to two shots with a four-foot birdie putt on No. 16. 

Keith Mitchell hits his birdie putt to stretch his lead to two-strokes.

📺 | CBS pic.twitter.com/Nc0zv6gn7r

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 8, 2021

This weekend has been an unexpected turnaround for Mitchell. He entered the Wells Fargo Championship coming off a 69th-place finish at the Valspar Championship last week and no top-10 finishes all season. 

Leader by 2.@K_m_Mitchell is dialed in @WellsFargoGolf. pic.twitter.com/4LckexnAw8

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 8, 2021

Keith Mitchell leads by 2 over Rory McIlroy & Gary Woodland entering the final round of @WellsFargoGolf.

Players with a 2-shot lead through 54 holes go on to win 40.5% of the time on the @PGATour the last 15 seasons.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 8, 2021

Coming on quick in Mitchell's rearview mirror is McIlroy. The Irish superstar has also been a surprise contender based on his recent performance, which included back-to-back missed cuts at The Players Championship and the Masters. 

McIlroy made a hard charge on the front nine with four birdies to make the turn at eight under par. 

3 birdies in his first 7 holes.@McIlroyRory moves back into a tie for the lead. pic.twitter.com/maxhp0K3SK

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 8, 2021

The lone blemish on McIlroy's Saturday scorecard was a big one. He made double-bogey on the par-four 12th hole. His tee shot landed didn't even land in the rough, it was so far off the path. 

After getting onto the green in three, McIlroy missed two putts within 10 feet to take a six. It was a surprising moment because he had been so efficient on the green in the third round up to that point. 

Feet of putts made for @McIlroyRory this week:

Round 1: 72' 8"
Round 2: 71' 10"
Round 3: 81' 1" (thru 9 holes) 😲

He leads by 2. pic.twitter.com/fFPuob6OnB

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 8, 2021

McIlroy did get one of those shots back with a birdie on No. 15 that brought his overall score to seven under par. 

The PGA Tour showed a video detailing the differences in McIlroy's swing from January to today:

Subtle differences.

Rory's swing in January vs today. pic.twitter.com/XLx03IERWY

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 8, 2021

The effort is clearly paying off, as McIlroy has an opportunity to win this weekend. Regardless of the outcome, he's building positive momentum leading into the PGA Championship in two weeks. 

Woodland, who was tied with Mitchell for the lead through two rounds, is still in the mix. He's currently tied with McIlroy for second place after finishing Saturday one under par. 

Woodland briefly moved ahead of Mitchell for the top spot when he made a birdie on No. 3. 

Rolling it to perfection.@GaryWoodland takes back the solo lead @WellsFargoGolf. pic.twitter.com/zRyHydwLvq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 8, 2021

Like Mitchell and McIlroy, Woodland has been trying to figure out his game recently. The University of Kansas alum didn't break par in four rounds at the Masters and missed the cut at the Valspar Championship because of an opening-round 77. 

There's a large group of players chasing that trio heading into Sunday. Luke List is only one shot behind McIlroy and Woodland. Eight other players are four under par or better. 

The stage is set for a dramatic finish at Quail Hollow Club. 

Rory McIlroy vaulted into contention after the second round at the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship on Friday. 

After an opening-round 72, McIlroy rebounded with a 66 to bring his two-day score to four under par. He moved up 68 spots on the leaderboard into a five-way tie for fourth place. 

McIlroy is among the players chasing a trio of co-leaders heading into the weekend. Matt Wallace, Gary Woodland and Patrick Rodgers are tied for the top spot at six under par. 

One player not celebrating his performance on Friday was Phil Mickelson. After leading the tournament with a 64 on Thursday, Lefty fell off the pace with a four-over 75 in the second round. 

---

2021 Wells Fargo Championship Friday Leaderboard

T1. Matt Wallace (-6)

T1. Gary Woodland (-6)

T1. Patrick Rodgers (-6)

4. Kramer Hickok (-5)

T5. Scott Piercy (-4)

T5. Rory McIlroy (-4)

T5. Keith Mitchell (-4)

T5. Carlos Ortiz (-4)

T5. Scott Stallings (-4)

Full leaderboard via PGATour.com

Beginning on the back nine, McIlroy got off to a modest start with four consecutive pars. It was on No. 14 where he hit his first birdie and things started to pick up. . 

McIlroy's tee shot on that hole put him in a bad position where he had to take a drop in the right rough. His second shot landed 16 inches from the hole, setting him with an easy birdie putt. 

Blind shot
Over trees
Water behind green

It's not supposed to look this easy, @McIlroyRory. 😲 pic.twitter.com/DGtFHUha9n

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 7, 2021

McIlroy followed that with a birdie on his next hole and on No. 17 to make the turn at two under par overall. 

Despite that blip on No. 14, the key to McIlroy's success was putting himself in a good spot off the tee:

Rory McIlroy: 5.66 strokes gained tee to green today, his most in any @PGATOUR round since 2019.

His 3.60 strokes gained approach today were a season-high.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 7, 2021

Rory McIlroy posts a 5-under 66 today. Won by 8 the last time the PGA Championship was at Kiawah, of course. Per @golfodds, moved from 20/1 to 18/1 for that event yesterday and down to 16/1 today.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) May 7, 2021

McIlroy's first tee shot after making the turn was a thing of beauty:

The line @McIlroyRory took off the tee. 🚀

He's 4-under in his last 6 holes. pic.twitter.com/gdU2FBYbIQ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 7, 2021

The only significant blemish on McIlroy's scorecard was a three-putt on No. 4. It was his only bogey of the round. 

Playing in his first event after missing the cut at The Players Championship and the Masters, McIlroy said during his post-round press conference that he needed time away to figure out what was wasn't working: 

"When you played the way I played sort of through that stretch in March and into April, you're going to feel like you're not as close as you probably are. But I worked hard after Augusta. I took a week off and reset, which I needed. But then I put my head down and worked hard and at least felt better about everything coming in here."

McIlroy still has work to do if he wants to win his first PGA Tour event since the WGC-HSBC Champions event in November 2019. 

Rodgers at one point was four under on the front nine with two birdies and an eagle on the par-five seventh hole. Wallace shot a 67 on Friday on the strength of five birdies and one bogey. 

Woodland rebounded from a difficult stretch with back-to-back bogeys on his eighth and ninth holes before making the turn. The 36-year-old did get those two shots back with birdies on No. 2 and 7 to finish with a 69. 

Mickelson began the round appearing like he would settle for something close to par. He shot even par on the front nine with one birdie and one bogey. 

After making the turn, though, things fell apart for Mickelson. The 50-year-old shot a four-over par 40 over his final nine holes, highlighted by a double-bogey on the par-three 17th hole. 

Golf is hard, volume 34,544,657:

Phil on Thursday: 64, hit 14 GIR, +5.99 SG tee to green
Phil on Friday: 75, hit 7 GIR, -2.47 SG tee to green

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 7, 2021

Despite a rough day, Mickelson is tied for 10th place heading into the weekend. He trails the leaders by three shots and has already shown his ability to put up a low number on this course. 

Given how tight the leaderboard remains through 36 holes, it will be very interesting to see if anyone is able to make a big jump on moving day. There have been several low scores in each of the first two days at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

It's been 27 months since Phil Mickelson won on the PGA Tour and nearly 10 months since he's even come in the top 10 at an event. 

A return to a familiar course appears to have helped to right the ship.

Mickelson soared to the top of the leaderboard in Thursday's opening round of the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship after carding a seven-under 64. He holds a two-stroke lead over Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Keegan Bradley, who are tied for second place at five under.

A group of six golfers are tied for fourth at four under. 

Back-to-back birdies.

Two-shot lead for @PhilMickelson. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rzQiStdoNg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 6, 2021

"I've had a lot of difficulty over the last couple years just being focused on each shot," Mickelson told reporters Thursday. "My mind has a tendency to wander, and I've had a hard time maintaining focus. Today was obviously a much better day. I tried a few different changes and it seemed to help, I'm gonna keep working on things. If I can just play four or five hours and be present on each shot, there's nothing physically holding me back."

Mickelson's last PGA victory came at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a tournament he's captured five times. While he has never won the Wells Fargo Championship, Mickelson has a history of consistent success at Quail Hollow.

Golf reporter Justin Ray noted that Mickelson has recorded 284 birdies or better during his time playing the Wells Fargo, 72 more than any other golfer.

The scene was a far cry from Mickelson's mentality a week ago, when he bemoaned his lack of focus after being cut at the Valspar Championship. 

"When I get called off shots, like cell phones ringing or people yelling or something, my physical ability to refocus—to back away and then refocus and so forth—I'm physically not able to do it right now," Mickelson told reporters last Friday. "So I have to find techniques to be able to do that."

Mickelson entered the weekend with six missed cuts since September and hasn't finished better than 21st during the 2020-21 PGA season. His opening round saw him perform at a prime level, carding eight birdies against one bogey while averaging more than 300 yards off the tee.

With a strong contingent of the world's best golfers playing at Quail Hollow, this could be a chance for Mickelson to show he still has some quality golf left in the tank.

World No. 2 Justin Thomas is currently five strokes off the lead at two under, while world No. 3 Jon Rahm will be scrambling to make the cut after shooting five over.

Bryson DeChambeau (-1), Patrick Reed (E) and Rory McIlroy (+1) are also well of Mickelson's pace. 

While the idea of a soccer Super League led to plenty of outlash and criticism, count Phil Mickelson among those who are at least intrigued by the notion in golf.

Bob Harig of ESPN reported Mickelson confirmed that representatives of the Premier Golf League—a potential new international tour with large prizes and popular players—reached out to him. Harig also shared Lefty's comments in which he suggested fans would like to see the top golfers more often in what would be a Super League:

I think the fans would love it because they would see the best players play exponentially more times. Instead of four or five times, it would be 20 times ... I don't know what the final number is.

But that's a big deal to give up control of your schedule. I don't know if the players would be selfless enough to do that. But every other sport, the entity or teams or leagues control the schedule. The players kind of play where they are told to play. Whereas here, we're able to control it.

Harig reported PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met with players Tuesday and said anyone who joins the Premier Golf League if it does become a reality in 2022 will be suspended and perhaps expelled from the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas both said they aren't interested, although the 51-year-old Mickelson is no longer in his prime compared to other headline golfers and could see this as an opportunity to make significant money at this stage of his career.

Some of golf's biggest names will not be playing this weekend at the Masters after failing to meet or surpass the three-over cut line at Augusta National Golf Club.

That group includes defending Masters champion and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, a pair of four-time major winners in Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka and world No. 10 Patrick Cantlay.

Here's a look at the entire Masters cut list alongside some further notes on what went wrong for that four-man group this week.

     

Masters: Full List of Players Cut

Danny Berger: +4

Jimmy Walker: +4

Matt Kuchar: +4

Max Homa: +4

Sergio Garcia: +4

Mike Weir: +5

Lanto Griffin: +5

Danny Willett: +5

Kevin Kisner: +5

Brooks Koepka: +5

Lee Westwood: +5

Dustin Johnson: +5

C.T. Pan: +6

Dylan Frittelli: +6

Robert Streb: +6

Rory McIlroy: +6

Bernhard Langer: +7

Pat Perez: +7

Zach Johnson: +7

Brian Gay: +8

Charles Osborne (amateur): +8

Patrick Cantlay: +8

Carlos Ortiz: +9

Ian Woosnam: +9

Jason Day: +9

Joe Long (amateur): +10

Hudson Swafford: +12

Sandy Lyle: +12

Sungjae Im: +13

Fred Couples: +13

Vijay Singh: +15

Tyler Strafaci (amateur): +17

Larry Mize: +19

Matthew Wolff: Disqualified

Source: Masters official website

     

Dustin Johnson

Johnson, who shot a Masters tournament record 20-under last November, will not be moving onto the weekend.

It was a struggle on Thursday and Friday for Johnson, but he appeared likely to make the cut after entering Amen Corner at two over Friday.

Nothing went right for him afterward. His second shot on the par-5 15th found the water, and he could not convert a 12-footer for par.

Johnson was still safe on the cut line, but he found the pine straw on the 17th hole. To his credit, DJ hit the green in two, but he had to two-putt from 62 feet out. He could not do so and missed an eight-foot par putt.

That forced Johnson to birdie the last in order to make the weekend, but his tee shot found the sand, and his second shot landed 36 yards from the hole below the left bunker. He ended up with a bogey to go three over on the final four holes.

    

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy had six bogeys from the fifth through 13th holes in Round 1 en route to shooting a four-over 76 Thursday.

He still had a shot of jumping over the cut line Friday, but he went four over through the 12th hole to land at eight over heading into Amen Corner.

That stretch included a double bogey on the 10th, when McIlroy incurred a penalty stroke after his ball was lost in the bushes.

McIlroy did finish strong, posting birdies on both par-fives on Amen Corner mixed in with six pars. However, McIlroy has now missed the Masters cut for just the second time since first participating in the tournament in 2009.

Patrick Cantlay

Patrick Cantlay entered the Masters ranked eighth in the PGA Tour in strokes gained: tee-to-green, but nothing went right for him Thursday and Friday.

Cantlay shot a seven-over 79 on Thursday, and his scorecard included double bogeys on No. 12 and No. 16.

The performance on No. 16 was particularly disappointing for Cantlay, who had just birdied No. 15 to move to four over for the tournament. He was still below the cut line at that point, but he was at least within striking distance of turning his tournament around.

However, Cantlay's tee shot found the pond on No. 16. After incurring a penalty stroke, he found the green from 25 feet out for bogey. Cantlay missed that putt and finished with the double bogey.

Not much went right Friday, as Cantlay saw his score drop to 11 over after a double bogey on the 11th.

It was an undoubtedly rough week for Cantlay, but he started the 2021 calendar year finishing 15th or better in his first four tournaments. He's not that far removed from achieving good form and could very well bounce back soon enough.

     

Brooks Koepka

Credit to Koepka for even playing this week after undergoing surgery for a kneecap dislocation and torn knee ligament on March 16.

Specifically, Koepka underwent a medial patellofemoral ligament repair, per Ryan Lavner of Golf Channel, and that typically requires six months of rehab.

Koepka was out there less than four weeks later, and naturally, he was rusty after playing his first professional rounds of golf since that surgery.

A tough stretch from the 10th through 14th holes Thursday ultimately led to Koepka's missed cut, as he shot four over during that stretch. He also started his second round with seven pars and four bogeys through 11 holes.

To Koepka's credit, he finished strong, going one under on the final seven holes for the week. However, his five-over score overall left him two shots short of the cut.

All statistics via Masters official website.

A PGA pro hitting someone with a golf ball is a semi-regular, often awkward experience. 

It's not too often the person they hit will be sitting with them at the family dinner table. 

That will be the case for Rory McIlroy, whose errant approach on No. 7 in the opening round of the Masters Tournament struck his father, Gerry, in the leg Thursday.

What are the odds 😅

Rory McIlroy's golf ball hit his father on hole No. 7.

Watch: https://t.co/fhXU9Iwq0f

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) April 8, 2021

Gerry McIlroy was uninjured after the ball hit him in the leg and joked with reporters, saying, “I should ask for an autographed glove.”

The younger McIlroy has struggled for most of the opening round, currently sitting at five over par through 14 holes. 

The Masters is the only major tournament McIlroy is yet to win on Tour. 

Reigning Masters champion Dustin Johnson will kick off his defense of the green jacket Thursday at 10:30 a.m. ET at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Johnson was a wire-to-wire winner of the 2020 Masters, holding a share of the lead after the first two rounds before pulling away over the weekend to win the tournament by five strokes. Last year's event was held in November because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it returns to its usual April time slot for 2021.

Here's a look at some of the notable pairings and their tee times for the first two rounds of the 2021 Masters, which were released Tuesday (all times Eastern):

10:06 a.m./1:12 p.m.: Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland

10:30 a.m./1:35 p.m.: Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood, Tyler Strafaci

10:42 a.m./1:48 p.m.: Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy

1:36 p.m./10:30 a.m.: Adam Scott, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa

1:48 p.m./10:42 a.m.: Tony Finau, Louis Oosthuizen, Justin Thomas

2 p.m./10:54 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Cameron Smith, Collin Morikawa

First- and second-round tee times ⁦@TheMasters⁩. pic.twitter.com/yIiTlg7ZP3

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) April 6, 2021

Johnson will attempt to fend off a long list of challengers for this season's first major title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhSauNDcwOk

While the 36-year-old South Carolina native dominated the field, Bryson DeChambeau disappointed to finish in a distant tie for 34th. It raised further questions about whether the famed course can be tamed when the focus is just on raw power and distance.

DeChambeau remains confident, however, saying the "stress of the tournament" and poor play in areas other than the tee box were to blame for his mediocre performance in November.

"I look at Augusta ... there were plenty of opportunities that I missed with wedging, putting and iron play," he told reporters. "I wouldn't say it was necessarily the driver that got me into trouble for the most part, but definitely there were times where my putter and my wedges and my iron play did."

Jordan Spieth is the other player generating plenty of buzz heading into the Masters coming off his victory in the Valero Texas Open.

Spieth's play had dropped off in recent years—his win in last week's event was his first since the 2017 Open Championship—but he's showed signs of a return to top form this season with top-five finishes in three other events before the breakthrough in Texas.

"When you're coming in form, it's a good feeling when you arrive here, and I've had that a few times,'' Spieth said. "I love being here. I love being on the grounds. It's my favorite tournament in the world. I've expressed that many times here."

Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka, who's making his first start since knee surgery, are among the other top contenders in the star-studded field.