Trio lead at Quail Hollow

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

On his 30th birthday, Rory McIlroy used words like “patience” and “discipline” to move within two shots of the lead Saturday in the Wells Fargo Championship.

In his first time in the final group on the weekend, Joel Dahmen needed those traits even more at Quail Hollow.

Five holes into the round — long before the two storm delays of a little more than an hour each at Quail Hollow — Dahmen hit a pitch into a bunker to make double bogey and blasted a chip 25 feet by the hole for a bogey and suddenly was four shots behind.

Dahmen recovered with an eagle-birdie-bogey-birdie stretch around the turn, held his breath when his shot on the 16th nearly went in the water and shot 1-under 70 for a share of the lead with Max Homa and Jason Dufner.

Dahmen only felt the nerves when he made his double bogey. Homa, who now gets his turn in the final group for the first time, felt them all day until he put a club in his hand. He handled the bustling crowd — he played with McIlroy — to seize the lead for most of the day until a tough bogey from behind a tree on the 18th for a 70.

Dufner made consecutive bogeys during the storm delays, answered with consecutive birdies and joined them at the top with a 71.

They were at 11-under 202.

Pat Perez had a bogey-free 66 and was one shot behind. Six players were separated by three shots going into the final round, a group that includes Justin Rose, who shot 68.

Paul Casey made 15 pars and still managed to make up five shots on the lead. He was four shots back at 7-under 206, along with Seamus Power (69).

Another shot behind was a group that include Sergio Garcia, who shot his way to a 65, and Rickie Fowler, who had a 66.