It hasn’t been exactly a stellar season for Peter Malnati.
The winner of the 2016 Sanderson Farms event, has found the going tough in 2018 until the past two days at the Wells Fargo.
Malnati has missed eight cuts, including the one last week in New Orleans.
But after two rounds at Quail Hollow, he finds himself with his first-ever 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
“The biggest thing this week over the last couple of years is that I’m totally relaxed,” Malnati said after adding a 68 to his opening 67. “It’s fun putting on greens where if you start it on line, it rolls end-over-end and you watch it go in.”
Malnati watched a lot of putts roll in including on two of his final three holes after starting his round on the back nine.
He holds a one-shot lead over Jason Day and Aaron Wise, a 2017 graduate of the Web.com Tour.
All the big names survived the cut but Rory McIlroy barely made it after starting his second round new the top of the leaderboard. McIlroy had a horrible back nine, coming home in 40. He sank himself with a double-bogey and three bogeys to finish with 76 and is two-over, nine back of the leader.
Justin Thomas, who won the PGA Championship last August at Quail Hollow, who opened with 73, shot 69 and got himself back to even par.
Rickie Fowler, a former winner here, is in at one-under par.
