The first round of the Wells Fargo Championship saw the top of the leaderboard lack more than one top 20 golfer after a surprising list of contenders. The lowest rounds of the opening day were carded by two Americans who both sit outside the top 175 on the Official World Golf Rankings.
Wheatcroft and Loupe lead charge with a one-shot lead
Steve Wheatcroft currently holds a worldwide ranking outside of the top 300, but his brilliant round on Thursday displayed his consistency off the tee and around the greens. The highlights of Wheatcroft’s round came on the four par-fives where he shot a combined six-under par. His seven-under par, 65, finish saw the Indiana University alumni card two eagles, five birdies, nine pars, and two bogeys en route to sharing the overnight lead heading into an action-packed Friday.
Andrew Loupe capped off a divine day at the Quail Hollow Club with a seven-under par, 65 of his own. Loupe’s scorecard was clean as he sunk seven birdies in his first round. The American went bogey-free on day one, despite being shaky off the tee. The LSU alumni capped off his clean round with a five foot putt for par on the 18th green to grab the share of the lead, and carded his second-lowest round of the 2015-2016 season thus far.
Golfers in contention
Anirban Lahiri sits in solo third after shooting an impressive bogey-free six-under par round. Kevin Chappell and Dawie van der Walt found themselves two shots back after they both carded a 67 to open up their tournament campaigns in North Carolina. Notably in the top ten are Martin Piller, Martin Laird, and Phil Mickelson who share the ninth position with eight other golfers as they began their tournaments with a 69. Justin Rose and Ian Poulter sit at two-under par, and Rickie Fowler finds himself six strokes back after a double-bogey on his closing stretch.
Bad day at the office for top golfers
Kevin Kisner has yet to shoot an under-par round since January, and his disappointment continued as he finished round one in a tie for 125th after a streaky three-over par, 75. Luke Donald also struggled by failing to make a single birdie, and four bogeys. To cap off the day one disappointments, Davis Love III ended his first round at ten-over par in his home town of Charlotte, North Carolina. The golf icon missed 67 percent of greens in regulation, and carded six bogeys and two double bogeys en route to a letdown opening round at his home tournament.