CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ One of them knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour. The other two hope to find out.
That's how the Wells Fargo Championship shapes up heading into the weekend, with Jason Dufner _ a five-time winner on tour _ taking a one-shot lead over Joel Dahmen and Max Homa, neither of whom have finished higher than ninth in a tour event.
On a day that broke cool and damp but finished warm and dry, Dufner blitzed Quail Hollow Club with an 8-under 63, leaving him at 11-under after two rounds.
"I've been here before, it's been a while," said Dufner, the 2013 PGA Championship winner but whose most recent victory is the 2017 Memorial. "I kind of know what to expect."
That's different from Dahmen and Homa, who are entering unfamiliar territory.
Dahmen, who will play in the final twosome Saturday with Dufner, was tied for the first-round lead with Rory McIlroy and shot another 66 to stay close to the top.
Homa climbed into contention by matching Dufner's 63. Eight birdies _ four on each side _ did the trick for Homa, a former NCAA champion who lost his tour card in 2017.
The trio atop the leader board has a bit of breathing room on the rest of the field.
McIlroy, a two-time Wells Fargo champ, ballooned to a 70, thanks to a double bogey on No. 8 (his 17th hole) and a bogey on No. 9. He's tied for fourth with Patrick Reed (69) and six behind Dufner.
"I turned a 66 into a 70," McIlroy said. "Just need to try and shake off that bad start _ sorry, bad finish."
The dry conditions that set in by mid-morning made the greens hard to judge on approach shots and putts.
"The greens are really, really firm," McIlroy said. "They're not overly fast. So if you start missing greens, it can make it a little bit tricky."
