“Rory and I definitely enjoy the times we get to play together, ” Fowler said.
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Talking of his first time at the Quail Hollow, which will host the 2017 PGA Championships, Lahiri said,”I have been leading up to a good solid round even the scores have not been as consistent”. And yeah, Andrew and I kind of fed off each other all day, he got off to a really hot start making birdies.
Of course, the whole round came complete with the entire Mickelson persona – the constant crooked grin, the knowing nods and thumbs up to the cheering masses, the handing over of golf balls to a little girl adjacent to almost every green. Fowler shot a four-under 68, ascending 26 spots up the leaderboard. McIlroy, the only two-time victor of the tournament, shot a 73 after a bogey-plagued start to his title defense.
But, Mickelson could never tame his driver, the one facet missing from a special day, and he had to continue to rely on his short-game to bail him out of trouble. “I’ve been working a lot on the range and I was still in range mode on the front nine”.
“I’ve been driving the ball well heading into this week”, he said.
He said he both of those experiences should help him at Quail Hollow Club.
“It reminds me a lot of Augusta in that you don’t have to be ideal but you do have to miss it in the correct spots”, the three-time Masters champion said. “And your short game has to be sharp because the contours of the greens and speed of the greens are very severe, so your touch has to be on”.
Hopefully I can continue to bed them in and hopefully get some competitive play as well. He, too, adores Quail. “It’s been a while since I made some putts early on in the round but the greens are absolutely ideal”. Just the feeling, the fans, the Charlotte area.
The Wells Fargo Championship serves as the final win-and-you’re-in opportunity for players, not previously eligible, to earn a start in next week’s PLAYERS Championship field. I feel like you can use a lot of your imagination to hit different shots.
After an opening-round 73, Rory McIlroy found himself eight back of the leaders and in need of a charge just to ensure he would be around for the weekend. But he remains confident because he can call past memories here. Chris Stroud is tied for 30th at 1-under 71, while Shawn Stefani is tied for 151st after a six-over 78.
He does some of his best work on the weekends.
While several players from other countries have opted out of the Olympics, Lahiri is enthused about the prospect of competing in Rio de Janeiro. He won by seven shots a year ago, finishing at 21 under.
Yeah, I’d say that’s pretty random.
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Admitting he played only 18 holes before Wednesday’s pro-am, he was rusty from the get-go but also mentally stuck on thinking about his swing, which he worked on during the break in an effort to correct flaws that popped up in the Masters. “When I came on Tuesday, I was a little bit at sea, now I am feeling at home”.
