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Xander Schauffele leads Rory McIlroy by one at Wells Fargo Championship

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    Written by Associated Press

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rory McIlroy shot a bogey-free 4-under 67 on Saturday to pull within a stroke of leader Xander Schauffele with a round left in the Wells Fargo Championship.

    Schauffele, who entered the day four shots ahead of McIlroy and Jason Day, carded a 70 to get to 12-under 201 as he looks to hold on and snap a 38-tournament victory drought.

    Sungjae Im was four strokes back after holing out from the bunker on No. 18 to save par and shoot 69. Sepp Straka matched McIlroy's low round of 67 and was alone in fourth at 7-under, while Day was fifth at 5-under — making five bogeys in a 73.


    Sungjae Im holes out from bunker to save par at Wells Fargo



    McIlroy birdied Nos. 9 and 10 to pull within two shots, then got to one back when Schauffele bogeyed the 12th.

    The crowd began chanting “Rory! Rory!” as the star from Northern Ireland stepped to the 13th tee.


    Rory McIlroy wedges it tight to set up birdie at Wells Fargo


    Seizing the momentum, McIlroy rolled in another birdie putt on No. 14 to move into a tie, but Schauffele matched that with a long birdie putt of his own moments later. Schauffele fought off McIlroy the rest of the way to maintain the lead.

    McIlroy caught a break on the difficult par-4 18th when his tee shot somehow avoided the creek on the left side of the fairway and came to rest sitting up in the tall grass. With a good lie, he found the edge of the green and two-putted for par to become the only player without a bogey on Saturday.

    Schauffele maintained the lead on the 18th when he got up-and-down from a bunker.


    Xander Schauffele reaches in two to set up birdie at Wells Fargo


    Straka continued his strong form since the Masters with another solid round on Saturday.

    He's had an inconsistent season that includes four missed cuts and four top-25 finishes. But he's playing his best golf of the year following a fifth-place finish at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

    Day started the day with hopes to challenge for the lead, but was 5-over for the day through the first 13 holes before rallying with three birdies in the final five holes.