Schauffele takes 3-stroke lead into 2nd round at Quail Hollow

CHARLOTTE — Xander Schauffele is off to a hot start this week at the Wells Fargo Championship being held at Quail Hollow Club.

Schauffele was in the middle of the pack after his front nine on Thursday — taking turns sharing the lead with the likes of Jason Day, Rory Mcilroy and Matt Kuchar at different times throughout the middle of the day.

Schauffele ended the day at -7 holding a three-stroke advantage over the closer competitors with Collin Morikawa, Alex Noren and McIlroy who all sit at -4.

Schauffele would then distance himself on a strong back nine stretch as the rest of the field would lose strokes later in the day.

Both Morikawa and Mcilroy looked to cut the deficit getting to -5 at one point later in the day before both bogeying their final holes. However, Morikawa would finish strong, ending his round with an eagle on his 16th and a birdie on his 18th to take a commanding lead heading into round 2.

Schauffele was set to tee off Friday at 12:17 p.m., paired with Shane Lowery and last year’s champion, Wyndham Clark.