Mitchell’s putter back in alignment
Keith Mitchell straightened out his putter and delivered big tee shots Saturday that carried him to a six-under 66 and a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Gary Woodland in the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte, N.C.
The putter issue is not a figure of speech.
After closing with an 82 in the Valspar Championship last week, Mitchell discovered his putter was out of alignment. He had it bent back to the right specifications, avoided mistakes that slowed so many others, and now has a chance at a second PGA Tour victory.
“I just feel like everything’s really working,” said Mitchell, who was at nineunder 204.
McIlroy will be right there along for the ride. A twotime winner at Quail Hollow, McIlroy raced out to the lead, steadied himself after a double bogey on the 12th hole when his drive hit a cart path, and shot 68.
Woodland had troubles on his own, particularly a drive right of the water hazard on the par-five seventh that turned birdie into bogey, and a lapse of poor putting down the stretch on the back nine. He still managed a 70 with a chance to win for the first time since his U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach in 2019.
Missing from the action is Phil Mickelson, whose 64 in the opening round now feels like more than two days ago after rounds of 75 and 76
Still playing is Bryson DeChambeau, after an 1,800mile round trip home to Dallas and back when he thought he missed the cut. He made it back to Quail Hollow with an hour to spare and shot 68, with a double bogey on the last hole, and was eight shots behind.
Champions
Defending champion Steve Stricker made a long eagle putt on the final hole for seven-under 65 and the third-round lead in the Regions
Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.
Stricker moved a stroke ahead of Alex Cejka with the eagle that got him to 14under 202 at Birmingham, Ala. Cejka, who made the field as the first alternate Monday, bogeyed the 17th in a 66.
Stricker, who won the Alabama major the last time it was held in 2019, raised his fist toward the fans just an instant before the eagle putt dropped on the closing hole. Cejka two-putted for par.
It was shades of Friday when Stricker moved into a four-way share of the lead with a birdie on No. 18. He ran his bogey-free streak to 28 holes.
LPGA
Patty Tavatanakit struggled on the front nine but will take a one-shot lead over fellow Thai Atthaya Thitikul and German Caroline Masson into final round of the LPGA Thailand tournament.
Tavatanakit recovered from her slow start to shoot a two-under 70 in the third round to move to 18-under 198.
Walker Cup
Cole Hammer and Ricky Castillo each won two matches in the Walker Cup at Juno Beach, Fla., and the United States took a 7-5 lead over Great Britain and Ireland into the final day as it goes for its fifth straight victory on home soil.
Hammer teamed with Davis Thompson in the morning to win a foursomes match so wild that only three holes were halved in a 1-up victory, and then held on to beat John Murphy 3 and 1 in the anchor singles match at tough, wind-blown Seminole Golf Club.
Castillo beat Ben Schmidt 5 and 3 in the mostlopsided victory of the day.
Two of the matches included alternates, one on each team, because of a stomach virus that derailed players and captains from both sides in the days leading up to the start.