Dufner takes lead with 63; Mickelson misses cut

C H A RLOTTE , N .C.» Jason Dufner’s game was going nowhere, so he changed everything from his swing coach to his equipment to his caddie.

It didn’t get any better.

He at least is starting to see signs of it coming together with an 8-under 63 on Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship, matching his career-low score on the PGA Tour and giving him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at Quail Hollow.

Dufner considers it the best two rounds he has put together since the 2017 Memorial, which also is the last time he had a 36hole lead.

“See how it goes being in the heat of it on Saturday and Sunday,” Dufner said. “I’ve been there before. It’s been a while, but I kind of know what to expect. It will be a good challenge to see where I’m at, what I’m doing.”

Dufner was at 11-under 131.

Joel Dahmen made his first bogey of the week on his final hole of the second round — from the middle of the fairway, no less — but still had a 66 and was one-shot behind. So was Max Homa, who also knows about coping with bad results when he missed the cut in 14 out of 17 events in 2017. He birdied his last two holes for a 63.

The weekend at the Wells Fargo Championship will not feature Phil Mickelson for the first time since he started playing it in 2004. Mickelson shot 41 on the front nine and wound up with a 76 to miss the cut by four shots.

Rory McIlroy was stride for stride with Dufner until he dropped three shots over the last two holes. McIlroy made double bogey with a fat shot out of a bunker and a pitch too strong over the green at No. 8, and then went over the green on No. 9 for a bogey and a 70.

Even so, he was five behind and in the mix for a third title at Quail Hollow. He was at 6-under 136 along with Patrick Reed, who had a 69 as he goes for his first top 10 of the year. Defending champion Jason Day (69) was six behind.

“I stood up here last night talking about that I got the most out of it yesterday, and today it was the complete opposite. I turned a 66 into a 70,” McIlroy said. “Golf, it’s a funny game and these things happen.”