Jason Dufner charged into the lead at the Wells Fargo Championship on Friday, firing an 8-under 63 at Quail Hollow Club to take a one-shot edge into the weekend.
Perhaps "strolled" is a better word for the laidback 42-year-old's single-day rise up the leaderboard, which got him to 12-under for the tournament. His outing consisted of seven birdies, an eagle, and a single bogey in which he missed a 3-footer for par. It's his lowest score on the Tour since shooting 63 at the 2013 PGA Championship, a tournament he won.
The most shocking performance of the day belonged to Phil Mickelson, who carded an abysmal 5-over 76 to miss the cut at Quail Hollow for only the second time in the last 11 years. He recorded eight top-11 finishes at the Wells Fargo Championship over that stretch.
Joel Dahmen and Max Homa trail Dufner by one. Dahmen posted his second 66 of the week and Homa matched the leader's score with an 8-under round of his own.
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed round out the top five, but both are five strokes back of Dufner with 36 holes remaining. McIlroy, who shared the lead after Day 1, looked to be in total control until playing his final two holes at 3-over par. Reed later joined McIlroy at 6-under with a 69 in Round 2.
Notables Justin Rose and Jason Day are at 5-under and in need of big moving-day performances to jump back into contention for Sunday.
