town favorite Webb Simpson birdied the 17th hole to break a logjam at the top and seize a one-stroke lead going into Sunday's final round of the Wells Fargo Championship, as Rory McIlroy charged into contention with a 66. Simpson, who lives near the Quail Hollow golf course at Charlotte, North Carolina, carded a three-under-par 69 for a total of 202 to lead second-placed countrymen Ryan Moore and D.A. Points as he chases his third PGA Tour title. Northern Irishman McIlroy, who could regain his world No. 1 ranking this week, is tied for fourth with American overnight leader Nick Watney, two shots behind Simpson. Simpson cautiously greeted the chance to win on his home course, mindful of 10 rivals within five strokes of his lead. “I don't want to get ahead of myself,” he told reporters. “I look at the leaderboard and there's so many great players within a shot or two. “So I know it's going to be a tough day. I know I can go out and shoot four-under and get beat by two or three. “If conditions are right you can get a string of birdies going,” said Simpson, who bought a home at Quail Hollow 18 months ago. McIlroy blistered his front nine with five birdies, and despite undoing some of the work with a bogey on 16, is well positioned to repeat his 2010 triumph. Molinari bags crown Francesco Molinari conjured a scintillating final round of seven-under-par to capture his third European Tour title at the Spanish Open Sunday. The Italian Ryder Cup player was four strokes down at the start of the final play at the Reale Club de Golf de Sevilla but blew the rest of the field away, including overnight leader Simon Dyson of England, with the best round of the week to win by three strokes. The 29-year-old's achievement was all the more impressive given that his position in the draw meant he had to deal with the driving wind and rain that lashed the course over the first two days and he finished the tournament on eight-under. Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark and Spaniards Pablo Larrazabal and Alejandro Canizares were joint second on five under, while Dyson faded to joint 12th. “I knew I was playing well,” Molinari said on the European Tour website. “I was also hoping the other guys would not go too far under par and everything worked out perfectly,” added the Italian, whose victory lifted him back into the top 30 in the world rankings. Despite the victory, his first in 18 months, Molinari remains outside the qualifying positions for this year's Ryder Cup.
