CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nick Watney answered what he referred to as a wake-up call at the Wells Fargo Championship by taking the lead.
Tiger Woods might need one after missing the cut.
Watney had gone nine straight rounds on the PGA Tour without breaking 70 and had failed to crack the top 10 in all nine of his stroke-play tournaments this year. He worked hard to change that, and it paid off Friday with an 8-under-par 64 that gave him a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson going into the weekend.
A two-time winner last year, Watney failed to crack the top 30 in a full-field event this year and missed the cut in New Orleans for his first weekend off at a tournament since July.
“I think last week was a wake-up call for me,” Watney said. “And I’ve worked really hard these five days leading into this event. I think it just shows I’m making progress. Who knows what’s going to happen this weekend, but I’m really excited for it. More hard work, and hopefully I’ll be in this position a lot more.”
Woods wound up in a rare position.
He failed to make a birdie on any of the par 5s or any hole on his back nine, missing a 4-foot birdie putt on his 17th hole with the cut on the line. Woods wound up with a 73 — his eighth consecutive round in the 70s — for an even-par 144 to miss the cut by one shot.
It was only the eighth time in 267 events on the PGA Tour that Woods missed the cut, and the first time it happened at the same place twice — Quail Hollow, where in four trips before the downfall in his personal life Woods had won once and never finished worse than 11th.
“This is one of my favorite tour stops, and unfortunately, I’m just not going to be around for the last two days,” Woods said.
Watney was at 12-under 132 and will play in the final group today with Simpson, who had a 68. Watney is staying with Simpson, who lives about a mile away. One side benefit from his 64 was that he has a bet with his host that high score takes out the garbage each day.
Stewart Cink, winless since he captured the British Open at Turnberry in 2009, had a 69 and joined Ben Crane (64), John Senden (68) and D.A. Points (68) two shots out of the lead.
Lehman in the lead •THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Tom Lehman had an eagle and five birdies on the first eight holes on the back nine, then bogeyed the par-4 18th for a 7-under 65 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Insperity Championship.
France’s Bourdy up by one •SEVILLE, Spain — France’s Gregory Bourdy shot a 6-under 66 in windy conditions to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the 100th Spanish Open. The Associated Press
