2023 Wells Fargo Championship leaderboard: Wyndham Clark takes solo lead with Xander Schauffele in pursuit

Wyndham Clark sits two strokes ahead of Xander Schauffele and a crowded pack at the Wells Fargo Championship

Saturday gave us separation at the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship as Wyndham Clark asserted himself as the man to beat heading into the final round. Clark posted an 8-under 63 in Round 3 and broke free from a busy leaderboard to grab a two-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele in the penultimate day of action at Quail Hollow. 

Round 3 also provided clarity for the pack entering the final round on Sunday. Xander Schauffele carded a 7-under 64 to move to sole possession of second on the leaderboard. Two off of Clark's lead, Schauffele is three strokes clear of Tyreell Hatton and Adam Scott, each of whom sit T3 at 11 under, potentially setting up a Sunday showdown between Schauffele and Clark for the championship.

Before we move to Round 4 coverage, let's first look back at how we got here from a wild Saturday of action with a run through the leaderboard.

The leader

1. Wyndham Clark (-16): Coming off consecutive 67s in Rounds 1 and 2, Clark pieced together a brilliant 8-under 63 to move from T1 on the leaderboard to solo No. 1 and the betting favorite entering Round 4. Clark's 63 was the lowest round of the week and propelled by eight birdies after posting 67s in Rounds 1 and 2. 

"I felt like I was really mentally strong," said Clark on CBS. "Obviously it's high pressure, it's a tough golf course. But I stayed patient, I was in the zone, was really focused out there and felt really good about it."

Clark, 29, has had one of his best seasons to date of his career with 16 made cuts in 18 appearances, along with eight top 25s to boot. He has not yet won on the PGA Tour and only twice has he finished top-three since turning pro in 2017. 

"I've been setting mental goals as opposed to outcome goals," added Clark. "If I can get myself in the right mindset for the day, I'm hoping the scores can take care of itself. So far it has. ... I'm trending in the right direction."

Primary challenger

2. Xander Schauffele (-14): Schauffele's 7-under 64 was the second-best round of the week and helped him move up two spots on the leaderboard to be firmly in contention entering Sunday as the primary challenger to unseat Clark at the top. Schauffele had a pair of bumps along the way -- he bogeyed at No. 3 and at No. 12 -- but made up for it with seven birdies and an eagle at the par-5 15th, which each round has played as the easiest hole this week.

Schauffele has had four top-10 finishes in his last four outings on the PGA Tour, including the WGC-Dell Match Play in late March, but is looking to get back into the win column for the first time in 2023 after a career-best three wins in the 2022 calendar year. 

Other contenders

T3. Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott (-11): Hatton bookended his third round with bogeys at No. 1 and at No. 18 and sandwiched another one in the middle at the par-4 11th. In between, though, he was able to get in on the birdie-fest to match his week high with six. He and Scott both went out in 32, but Scott came in at 35 with a birdie-bogey at 17 and 18. 

Hatton cooled down the stretch to finish even-par on the back with a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys in his final nine holes. 

T5. Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood and Sungjae Im (-10): Fleetwood and English both made big moves up the leaderboard on Moving Day to get in position to be in contention for the final round after turning in 67 and 66, respectively, in Round 3. Im followed up his 5-under 66 in Round 2 with a 3-under 68 but dropped one spot in the standings to sit six off of Clark's lead. All three are looking to end multi-year win droughts on the PGA Tour and sit in position to at least be in the mix to the end as we wrap up Wells Fargo Championship weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.

2023 Wells Fargo Championship odds, picks

Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele stand well above the rest of the field entering the final round, and the updated betting odds from Caesars Sportsbook reflect as much. Clark, though, despite a two-stroke lead, isn't as big a favorite as you might expect. Caesars has Clark as a +100 favorite just barely ahead of Schauffele, who is +165 to win. Tyrrell Hatton is third on the board at +1600, followed by Adam Scott at +2500 and Sungjae Im at +3000.

Here's an updated look at the odds from Caesars Sportsbook:

• Wyndham Clark: +100
• Xander Schauffele: +165
• Tyrrell Hatton: 16-1
• Adam Scott: 25-1
• Sungjae Im: 30-1
• Tommy Fleetwood: 40-1
• Harris English: 70-1
• Justin Thomas: 90-1
• Max Homa: 150-1
• Brendon Todd: 225-1
• Gary Woodland: 275-1
• Corey Conners: 275-1
• Viktor Hovland: 350-1
• Adam Svensson: 500-1
• Erik Van Rooyen: 500-1

The implied probability of Clark winning based on these odds gives him a 50% chance of finishing the weekend with hardware, but of course as far as value, there's not a ton to be had there at +100. Schauffele at +165 is probably the smartest play in terms of pure value. He played his best round of the week Saturday and has the pedigree to chase down Clark from behind.

Betting anyone beyond Clark of Schauffele quickly veers into the dart throw category. But who am I to judge if darts are your thing, you know? That in mind, Justin Thomas at 90-1 is a fun YOLO play. Thomas famously won the 2022 PGA Championship after entering the final round as a 28-1 longshot to win his second major, and he has the tools -- if anyone can do it -- to pull off a true Sunday stunner. Max Homa at 150-1 is equally fun (and probably equally as unlikely to happen). Homa didn't have his best stuff Saturday but still salvaged a 3-under 68 to stay within eight of the lead. The two-time Wells Fargo Championship winner has the history with this tournament and the skill, like Thomas, to make a run and make things interesting if he's on top of his game Sunday.

[May 6, 2023 at 4:27 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Wyndham Clark grows lead

Wyndham Clark has separated himself -- if only slightly -- from the rest of the pack in Round 3 as the penultimate day of action at this year's Wells Fargo nears an end. Clark has played a bogey-free round through 13 holes and sits 6 under on the day and 14 under on the week. He just birdied the par-3 13th, his second in four holes. 

[May 6, 2023 at 2:38 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Wyndham Clark takes lead

Mr. Steady this week, Wyndham Clark, has been rewarded in a big way at the Wells Fargo as he takes the lead with a birdie to move to 10 under on the tourney. Clark fired 67-67 in Rounds 1 and 2 and is 2 under through six in Round 3. He narrowly leads Adam Scott, Sungjae Im, Tommy Fleetwood, Brendon Todd and Tyrrell Hatton, all of whom sit at 9 under.