Keith Mitchell flies ahead with Rory McIlroy in contention for Wells Fargo Championship

Keith Mitchell played with great discipline to post five-under 66 in the third round at the Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club.

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Keith Mitchell - Getty Images

09 May 2021: The winds continued to play on the minds of golfers as Quail Hollow remained a tricky challenge in the Wells Fargo Championship. Keith Mitchell overcame 25mph gusts, shooting arrows in a fine 66 that earned him a two-stroke advantage over Rory McIlroy and Gary Woodland. Mitchell is 9-under through 54 holes with Luke List at six-under 207.

Satoshi Kodaira - Getty Images
Satoshi Kodaira of Japan plays a shot from a bunker on the first hole during the third round of the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Satoshi Kodaira was flying the flag for Asia at 5-under, on the strength of a second 68 this week. The Japanese hasn’t secured a top-10 since his victory in the 2018 RBC Heritage.

On Sunday, Mitchell will play alongside McIlroy, with both men seeking to end a drought. It will be 798 days since Mitchell last won the Honda Classic in 2019. McIlroy has gone trophy less for 553 days since winning the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions. It would be a third victory for McIlroy at Wells Fargo, which also happens to be his first TOUR victory.

A straightened putter has been the secret ingredient this week for Mitchell. He realised the putter was bent when he posted an 82 at the Valspar Championship.

“I just feel like everything’s really working,” said Mitchell, “My driver feels great, and around this place you’ve really got to drive it well. Really just trying to keep the ball in front of me right now and see what we can do tomorrow.”

A double bogey at the 12th hole threatened to upend McIlroy’s resurgence on Friday, when he drove to the cart path. But he remained steady to work his way into the final group for the first time since Riviera last year.

Rory McIlroy - Getty Images
Rory McIlroy surveys the slope of 7th green during the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship on (Photo by Lee Coleman – Getty Images)

The return of fans on the grounds seems to be lifting the spirits of McIlroy. “Just so cool to play in an atmosphere like that again,” McIlroy said after making five birdies and one double-bogey in a tale of two nines (31-37) on Saturday. “I’ve missed it. I didn’t think I would miss it as much as I did, but I really have. I’m excited about tomorrow.”

McIlroy seems to have rediscovered his mojo after falling off the line in an attempt to emulate the power game of Bryson DeChambeau. The 76 on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational served as a wake up call. McIlroy has been working with Michael Bannon for a long time, and deciding to add time with Pete Cowen on his calendar brought some fresh perspective and energy to his regimen. The results may take time, but the positive signs are already visible. After missed cuts at THE PLAYERS and the Masters, a return to Quail Hollow was just the medicine McIlroy to heal his wounds.

“It’s a golf course that I am comfortable on,” he said, “and going into a final round tomorrow with a chance to win, I feel like I need everything I can get to try to get over the line. For me to be in contention for the first time in a while and for it to be here is probably beneficial.”

Three shots back and a chance at a maiden victory, List shot 68, to fuel his aspirations. “Yeah, think about it all the time,” List said when asked how often he ponders the prospect of notching his first PGA TOUR win. “I’ve got a few more pressing issues that are more at the forefront for me, like trying to get the ball in the hole and trying to not think too much on the putting green. It’s just the winning stuff – I think about that more when I’m not playing.”

 

Third-Round Leaderboard

Keith Mitchell 67-71-66 —204 (-9)
Rory McIlroy 72-66-68 —206 (-7)
Gary Woodland 67-69-70—206 (-7)
Luke List 67-72-68 —207 (-6)

Leading Asian/Australian Scores

Satoshi Kodaira 68-72-68 – 208 (-5, T5)
Cameron Davis 70-71-69 – 210 (-3, T13)
K.H. Lee 66-77-70 – 213 (E, T38)
C.T. Pan 74-69-72 – 215 (+2, T54)