Abe Ancer nearly birdies the Green Mile in runner-up showing at Quail Hollow
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After starting the final round five strokes behind front-runner Keith Mitchell, Abraham Ancer flirted with the lead and a previously unreached scoring benchmark at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Ancer moved to 7 under with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 15th hole and added another from 18 feet at No. 16. With his 10-footer for birdie at the 17th hole he was tied for the lead and on the cusp of becoming the first player to ever birdie the “Green Mile,” Quail Hollow Club’s final three holes.
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“To be honest, I was really frustrated because I was getting a lot of looks and I knew it had to take something special today to get it done,” Ancer said. “I stayed patient, kept hitting it good and told myself they’re going to start dropping and thankfully they did at the end.”
Ancer’s attempt at history from 33 feet for birdie at the last hole was wide and his par was good for a closing 66, the low round of the day.
“It gets me pumped up knowing I’m performing well on golf courses that are big venues. You’ve got to hit it out there,” he said. “Kiawah’s [site of this month’s PGA Championship] just a couple weeks from now and that’s a big golf course as well. I’m pretty pumped to see how my game stacks up out there. This gives me a lot of confidence, for sure.”