A two-under-par 69 on Friday saw Christiaan Bezuidenhout move to a share of 13th after the second round of the PGA Tour’s Signature Event, the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It was an up-and-down round for Bezuidenhout, who had five birdies on the front nine, but dropped two shots in the process. He dropped another two on the homeward nine, and he made just one birdie.
At three-under-par through 36 holes, he was some way off the lead which was held by Xander Schauffele at 11-under. Schauffele carded a second-round four-under-par 67 to move four shots clear of two former world number ones in Rory McIlroy and Jason Day.
The 30-year-old Schauffele has seven top-10 finishes this season, but no wins. He’s looking to snap a winless streak that dates to July 2022 at the Genesis Scottish Open. “I’ve had a few knocks on the door and I just tell myself to keep knocking,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele said the drought is something he’s always thinking about, but added that the toughest part is just to stay in the present. “You just have to recognize the situation you are in, and realize that you are playing some good golf and just get out of your own way at times,” Schauffele said.
McIlroy entered the day three shots behind Schauffele, but managed to lose ground despite not making a bogey. McIlroy finished with a 68. He had several opportunities to put the pressure on Schauffele but missed a few makeable putts.
Still, the star from Northern Ireland walked away feeling good about his play. “Felt like I probably could have squeezed a couple more out of the round, but anytime you can go around this golf course bogey free it’s always going to be a decent day,” said McIlroy, who teamed with Shane Lowry to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans two weeks ago.
