Sunday 5 May 2019 17:55, UK
Rory McIlroy marked his 30th birthday by moving within two strokes of the lead at a weather-affected Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy posted a three-under 68 in a stop-start third round at Quail Hollow to get to nine under and close the gap on the group of three players sharing the 54-hole advantage.
Playing partner Max Homa held the lead on his own until a final-hole bogey slipped him back alongside Joel Dahmen and midday pacesetter Jason Dufner, while Pat Perez two off the pace in fourth after a five-under 66.
The event became the fifth in as many weeks on the PGA Tour to experience weather delays, with two suspensions due to the threat of lightning seeing nearly two and a half hours of play lost.
Beginning the weekend five off the pace, McIlroy opened with six consecutive pars and made a two-putt birdie at the seventh before the first weather stoppage at 3.37pm local time (8.37pm BST).
McIlroy picked up a shot at the par-five 10th and almost holed his approach at the 12th just before play was halted for a second time, only to three-putt for bogey when play resumed just over an hour later.
The Northern Irishman responded by getting up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-four 14th and pick up another shot from close range at the next, which moved him closer to the lead when playing partner Homa missed from 10 feet to save par at the last.
Homa posted a one-under 70, which Dahmen matched despite playing his first five holes in three over, while Dufner mixed three birdies with as many bogeys with a level-par 71.
Justin Rose is three off the pace after a three-under 68 and Paul Casey is in the group on seven under alongside Ireland's Seamus Power, as Sergio Garcia moved inside the top-10 with a round-of-the-day 65.
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