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Rory McIlroy’s finished his second round at the Wells Fargo Championship signing for a 67 on seven under par overall.
A poor pitch at the par 5 looked to have left him too much to do on the green but he rattled home from 30 feet - further proof that the work he did on his putting with Dave Stockton in the last few days is paying off.
On Friday the four-time major winner was in full flow and looked determined to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck going into the weekend.
When his drive at the 14th ran through the green 345 yards away minds were beginning to wander towards the possibility of the Northern Irishman breaking his own course record of 62 at the North Carolina resort.
However a sloppy chip left him with too much to do for birdie and an excellent chance of going three under par after five holes was squandered.
That missed opportunity perhaps played a part in McIlroy’s deceleration as he only managed one birdie in the next eight holes.
That trend was broken with a birdie at the fifth, his 14th, before another typically glorious drive was only stopped from crawling onto the green at the par 4 eighth by the front bunker.
From there a controlled splash shot to four feet was enough to claim another birdie before a par at the ninth saw him sign for a 67.
McIlroy’s round was somewhat less eventful than that of tournament leader Martin Flores.
The world number 248 finished third at Quail Hollow last year and this year’s performance is certainly appeasing the notion that certain golf courses just suit certain players.
Flores has missed four of his last six cuts but that poor form has been exorcised by the fairways and greens of Quail Hollow as eight birdies and three bogies eventually resulted in a 67 that catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.
He is joined at the summit by American compatriot Patrick Rodgers who is eight under par with three holes to play.
Patrick Reed slipped back down the leaderboard during the second round, thanks to a two over par round of 74.
