Video: Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney tied after Day 3 at Quail Hollow

Phil Mickelson shot a 1-over 73 at the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship and is tied for the lead with Nick Watney. Watney double-bogeyed the 17th and settled for a 71.

Wells Fargo Championship: Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney tied after Day 3

There’s a two-way tie at the top of the leader board at the Wells Fargo Championship after the third round.

Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney are tied at 8-under-par with George McNeill sitting alone in third place at 7 under.

Both Mickelson and Watney suffered double bogeys within the final four holes. Mickelson finished with a 7 at the par-5 15th while Watney shanked his tee shot at the par-3 17th and two-putted to drop two strokes.

Watney, playing in the next-to-last group with McNeill, carded a 71 on Saturday while Mickelson gave a stroke back after leading by two strokes entering the day.

Mickelson was 1 under on the day after the front nine but carded just two birdies on the back nine. He hit a fan with a shot on the par-4 16th and finished with a bogey.

McNeill’s par putt couldn’t find the hole on 18 and he finished with a bogey and a round of 72.

The low score of the day went to John Senden. He carded a 5-under-par 67 and is tied for fourth with six other players at 6 under.

Watney, Mickelson and McNeill will tee off at 8:45 a.m. Sunday. The tee times were bumped up and pairings made into trios in hopes of beating the bad weather forecast for Sunday afternoon.

- Jonathan Jones

Mickelson remains 2 strokes ahead

3:30 update: A birdie on the eighth hole has given sole possession of the lead back to Phil Mickelson at the Wells Fargo Championship. Mickelson is 1-under for the day and 10-under for the tournament. That's two strokes ahead of Nick Watney and George McNeill.

Rory McIlroy made a brief run at the lead when he eagled the seventh hole. He gave those two strokes back on No. 9 with a double bogey, though. McIlroy is 6-under.

Scott Gardiner has bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 and is now five back at 5-under.

Mickelson drops back into tie with Gardiner

2:25 p.m. update: Phil Mickelson bogeyed the third hole and Scott Gardiner birdied No. 1: that adds up to a tie for the lead between the two at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.

Mickelson and Gardiner are at 8 under, a shot ahead of rookie Derek Ernst and Nick Watney. Ernst birdied No. 1, as did Watney (although he would bogey No. 2).

Rory McIlroy is even par today, two shots behind the leaders. He birdied No. 4, then bogeyed the par-5 fifth.

Rain potential disrupts Sunday schedule

• Anticipating rainy weather, Sunday's final round of the Wells Fargo Championship will start earlier. Tee times will be from 6:45-8:45 a.m on the 1st and 10th tees, with players in threesomes. Television coverage will be taped and will be at the same time originally scheduled (1-2:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, 3-6 p.m. on CBS).

• Ryan Moore has made an early move Saturday. He's birdied four of his first six holes and is 4-under for the day and 6-under for the tournament, three strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson. John Senden is also 4-under for the day through eight holes and is four behind Mickelson.

• Sunday's tee times

Video: Phil Mickelson takes charge at Quail Hollow

Phil Mickelson shot a 5-under 67 in Friday's second round of the Wells Fargo Championship to take a two-shot lead heading into the weekend. Lefty is looking to win his first PGA Tour event at Charlotte's Quail Hollow Club.

Mickelson in clubhouse with 2-stroke lead

6 p.m. update: Phil Mickelson wrapped up a 5-under par round of 67 on Friday and leads the Wells Fargo Championship by two strokes.

Mickelson, who has never won at Quail Hollow, had six birdies and a bogey and is 9-under for the tournament. He leads a group that includes Scott Gardiner, Nick Watney, Robert Garrigus and Derek Ernst at 7 under. Garrigus and Ernst are still on the course and have chances to catch Mickelson.

Mickelson holding off Garrigus

5:15 p.m. update: Another birdie at the 15th has given Phil Mickelson a one-shot lead over Robert Garrigus at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Mickelson is 5-under for the day and 9-under for the championship, a stroke better than Garrigus, who has birdied the 10th and 11th holes and is 3-under for the day.

Scott Gardiner and Nick Watney are two strokes back at 7-under and tied for third, while a large group, led by Rory McIlroy is at 6-under.

Another player to look out for is Sergio Garcia, who is also 5-under today and is now tied for 10th, four strokes behind Mickelson at 5-under for the tournament.

Mickelson charges to the front

3:45 p.m. update: Phil Mickelson rolled in a 39-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, giving him a one-shot lead Friday at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Mickelson is 4-under par for the day and 8-under for the tournament, a stroke ahead of Scott Gardiner and Robert Garrigus, who is still on the course and 2-under for the day.

Mickelson began the day one stroke out of the lead, but started quickly with birdies on the first two holes. He had four birdies and no bogeys on the front nine.

Mickelson's round has been matched by Lee Westwood, who shot a 68 and is tied for fourth, two shots behind Mickelson at 6-under for the tournament.

Gardiner completes round of 67, leads Wells Fargo

1:45 p.m. update: Scott Gardiner, a PGA Tour rookie who is also the first aboriginal pro golfer, shot a 5-under par 67 Friday and leads the Wells Fargo Championship by one stroke.

Gardiner, who was born in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia, has a two day total of 137,  7-under par.

Gardiner has a narrow lead over five others at 6 under, including Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Rod Pampling, Jason Kokrak and Phil Mickelson, who has opened his round with two consecutive birdies.

 

Gardiner alone at top

12:30 p.m. update: Scott Gardiner has gone to 5-under for the day and is the leader at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club at 7-under par.

After four consecutive birdies on the front nine, Gardner has been steady on the back, parring the first five, including a nice up-and-down on the 12th.

Rory McIlroy finished his round with a 1-under 71 and is tied for second one stroke behind Gardiner with Lee Westwood, Jason Kokrak and Rod Pampling. Westwood had been tied for the lead with Gardiner, but bogeyed No. 7.

Others near the top of the leader board who are due to tee off soon: Ryan Moore (12:55), Nick Watney (1:05), Boo Weekley (12:25) and Phil Mickelson (1:05).

Westwood, Gardiner tied for lead at Quail Hollow

11 a.m. update: Lee Westwood and Scott Gardiner are both at 4-under for the day and are tied for the lead at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Gardiner has birdied three straight holes -- 6, 7 and 8 -- and shares the lead with Westwood at 6-under par, one stroke ahead of a huge (nine) group of players. Among them is Rory McIlroy, who is even for the day.

Vaughn Taylor, a Monday qualifier, is 3 under for the day and part of that logjam behind Westwood and Gardiner.

Gardiner is an Aussie who has just one top 25 finish this season and has missed eight straight cuts. Looks like that streak comes to an end Friday.
 

Henley new leader at Quail Hollow

10 a.m. update: Russell Henley has three early birdies and has taken over sole possession of the lead at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Henley birdied the first, third and seventh holes and is at 6-under par, a stroke ahead of Daniel Summerhays, Jason Kokrak, Ryan Moore, Nick Watney, Robert Garrigus and Derek Ernst.

Rory McIlroy, who was part of a seven-way tie for first after Thursday's first round, is 2-over through his first nine and has dropped back to a tie for 16th at 3-under. Nate Smith, another of the first day's leaders, is 1-over for the day and is tied for eighth.

The weather has turned cloudy again after a sunny start; there are reports of a bit of rain out there.

Video: Rory McIlroy in 7-way tie for lead at Quail Hollow

Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under 67 at the 1st round of the Wells Fargo Championship. McIlroy is in a 7-way tie for the lead while Phil Mickelson is only 1 back. McIlroy discussed his opening round.

McIlroy among 7 tied for lead

7:20 p.m.

There's quite a crowd atop the leader board at the Wells Fargo Championship as a chilly and soggy  first round draws to a close at Quail Hollow Club.

Rory McIlroy, the tournament's 2010 champ who lost in a playoff last year to Rickie Fowler, is one of seven players tied for the top spot, with a 5-under 67. He's joined by Duke grad Nate Smith, Ryan Moore, Nick Watney, Robert Garrigus, rookie Derek Ernst and  Daniel Summerhays.

Six more are one shot back: Boo Weekley, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Streelman, Zach Johnson, Lucas Glover and Justin Kokrak.

Fowler shot an even-par 72 and is tied for 53rd.

Summerhays bolts to the lead

5:45 p.m.

There's a new leader at Quail Hollow: Daniel Summerhays birdied Nos. 14 and 15 to go to 6-under par and leads a group of six players by a stroke.

Summerhays had five birdies on the front nine to move into contention.

Rory McIlroy's birdie on 18 left him with a 5-under 67 for the day. He's tied for second with Ryan Moore, Nick Watney, Robert Garrigus, rookie Derek Ernst and former Duke player Nate Smith, who is still on the course.

Phil Mickelson leads a group of five players at 4-under.

Rookie Ernst tied for Wells Fargo lead

Rookie Derek Ernst has joined Ryan Moore, Nick Watney and Robert Garrigus in a four-way tie for the lead at the Wells Fargo Championship. They all shot a five-under 67s and are one shot ahead of Boo Weekley, Phil Mickelson and Nicolas Colsaerts.

Rory McIlroy made four straight birdies on Nos. 5-8, but a bogey on No. 9 has him at 3 under.

Ernst only made the tournament field as a fourth alternate. A rookie who played at Nevada-Las Vegas, he had planned on playing a Web.com tournament in Athens, Ga., this week when he got the call to come to Charlotte. He finished in a tie for 47th at last week's Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
 

Watney, Moore tied for early lead

Nick Watney and Ryan Moore are the early leaders at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Watney and Moore carded 5-under par 67s, while four golfers -- Boo Weekley, Phil Mickelson, Robert Garrigus and rookie Derek Ernst -- one back at 4-under.

Toughest hole of the day so far goes to Charlotte native and former Wake Forest golfer Bill Haas, who had a 9 on the par-5 seventh hole. -- David Scott

Rory and Tiger, Nike teammates and TV buddies

   Nike made it official today in Abu Dhabi that Rory McIlroy has joined Team Swoosh, a move that became apparent late last year and was denied by no one.
   The rumored numbers -- as high as $250 million over 10 years though others have said it's less than $200 million -- explain McIlroy's decision to join Tiger Woods on the Nike staff. It's a huge cost to Nike but the company landed the game's new superstar and locked him up long-term.
   McIlroy leaves Titleist, which traditionally hasn't paid huge dollars to keep the game's top stars.
   How good is the Nike equipment McIlroy will be using?
   Good enough for him to feel comfortable about the change. If he feels good, that's what matters.
   Here's a link to the new Rory/Tiger commercial released by Nike, a fun play on their relationship. That's a pretty strong twosome.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/01/14/3787917/tiger-woods-vs-rory-mcillroy-in.html

-Ron Green Jr.

Eight Carolinas courses in Golf Digest top 100

   Eight Carolinas courses have landed spots in Golf Digest's prestigious list of the top 100 golf courses in the United States, four of them located in the North Carolina mountains.
   Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey tops the new list followed by Augusta National Golf Club. To see the complete list go to  http://golfdig.st/10UJYcE
   The Carolinas courses in the top 100 are:
   No. 21: The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island
   No. 22: Wade Hampton Golf Club,  Cashiers
   No. 40: Pinehurst No. 2
   No. 67: Eagle Point Golf Club, Wilmington
   No. 89: Diamond Creek Golf Club, Banner Elk
   No. 92: Mountaintop Golf Club, Cashiers
   No. 96: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island
   No. 98: Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Linville.
   I'm surprised that Pinehurst No. 2 isn't ranked higher, especially after the brilliant restoration work done by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. It's likely to jump after the U.S. Open is played there in 2014.
   Tom Fazio's work around here is obviously respected. He designed Wade Hampton, Eagle Point, Diamond Creek and Mountaintop.
    Obviously, this is a subjective ranking based on evaluation by a group experienced course raters. Solid cases for the inclusion of both Quail Hollow Club and Charlotte Country Club could be made.