Chattanooga native Mitchell a stroke back in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy looked every bit like a golfer who has won twice at the Wells Fargo Championship. He just didn’t feel like one. Twice when he was out of position off the tee, he managed to make birdies. He missed a four-foot birdie putt after his most amazing recovery of all. And late in his round Thursday, he ran off three straight birdies for a share of the lead with Joel Dahmen at 5-under 66, McIlroy’s best start in 10 appearances at Quail Hollow Club.

Walking to the scoring area, he smiled and said, “Managed my game.”

What did he mean by that?

“Get the most out of your round …. like I did today,” he said. “I felt like I hit it like I should have shot 1- or 2-under par. I didn’t feel like it was a round that I deserved to shoot 5 under, but I got the most out of it, which is nice if I’m able to continue to do that sort of stuff.”

Dylan Frittelli, Martin Laird, Patrick Reed, Adam Schenck and Nick Taylor were one stroke behind Dahmen and McIlroy.

The nine-way tie for third at 68 included 2018 Wells Fargo winner Jason Day and Chattanooga native Keith Mitchell, who led the way among the quartet of former Baylor School golfers on the PGA Tour. Harris English (71) was tied for 47th, Luke List (75) was tied for 116th and Stephan Jaeger (76) was tied for 131st.

As for McIlroy, in his first start since tying for 21st at the Masters in early April — his only finish out of the top 10 this year — he got out of trouble and made enough key putts to keep moving in the right direction. His only bogey came after a drive that bounced into a creek.

Dahmen, a cancer survivor who tries not to take himself too seriously, was more consistent. Playing three groups behind the large crowd following McIlroy, he kept bogeys off his card and holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

Dahmen tied for 12th at The Players Championship in March and earned just more than $250,000, which made him feel like “the richest man alive.” He decided to grow in a moustache, which he kept for good luck until hitting a ball in the water last week at the Zurich Classic, the PGA Tour’s team event near New Orleans. So he shaved.

Trio tied at the top

SHENZHEN, China — Jorge Campillo began his bid for backto-back European Tour titles by shooting a 7-under 65 to share the lead with two other golfers after the first round of the Volvo China Open.

Four days after winning the Trophee Hassan II tournament in Morocco for his first victory on tour, the 32-year-old Spaniard made five birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Genzon Golf Club. Campillo was tied with David Lipsky of the United States and Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen.

Lipsky, a 30-year-old Californian, has won twice each on the Asian and European tours. His most recent victory came this past December at the Aflred Dunhill Championship in South Africa. He used eight birdies to offset a bogey on the first hole Thursday.

Pulkkanen, who turns 29 on May 21, has never won on the European Tour. He was bogeyfree Thursday.

The leaders were a stroke clear of China’s Wu Ashun and Jin Daxing as well as American golfer John Catlin. Ashun won the 2015 China Open.