Xander Schauffele tops stacked leaderboard after first round of Wells Fargo Championship

Xander Schauffele.

Xander Schauffele entered this week’s Wells Fargo Championship as one of the top favorites to win the signature event, and he showed why in the first round. The American fired a 7-under 64 on Thursday at a soggy Quail Hollow Club to take the first-round lead by two strokes.

Schauffele started off hot with five birdies in his first eight holes. He stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 18th — his ninth hole of the day — then rattled off six straight pars. After driving in neutral for a while, the World No. 4 finished strong with an eagle on the par-3 seventh hole and a birdie on the par-4 ninth. The 7-under 64 marked his best first-round performance since The American Express in January.

Schauffele is surely due for a win after seven top-10 finishes in his first 11 starts this season. The seven-time PGA Tour winner ranks third in total strokes gained this season, but it won’t be easy to hold onto his slim lead with so many superstars lurking on the leaderboard.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, a three-time winner at Quail Hollow, is tied with Masters contender Collin Morikawa and Swede Alex Noren in second place at 4-under par. Right behind them is a seven-way tie at 3-under par led by Justin Thomas, Sungjae Im and Jason Day. Jordan Spieth, Max Homa and two others are further back at 2-under par.

Schauffele is in control for now, but we’ve seen him struggle to hold leads throughout his career. This is shaping up to be a fun weekend in Charlotte.

Want more articles like this? Follow Yardbarker on MSN to see more of our exclusive golf content.

More must-reads:

Trending slideshow: The best golfers who never won at the Masters (Provided by Yardbarker)