CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Webb Simpson has plenty of hometown knowledge when it comes to playing Quail Hollow Club.

He might need every bit of it if he hopes to hold off Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson this weekend.

Simpson chipped in twice for birdie and shot a 5-under 67 for a share of the second-round lead with Robert Streb in the Wells Fargo Championship. Streb had a 69 to match Simpson at 10-under 134.

“Playing here quite often, I know where the best places are to miss (the green),” said Simpson, who lives in Charlotte and has played the course countless times.

Simpson knows it will take a lot more big shots over the weekend to win with some of golf’s top names lurking behind him.

McIlroy and Mickelson were three shots back. Mickelson had a 66, and McIlroy matched Simpson’s 67.

Martin Flores and Patrick Rodgers were tied for third at 8 under.

“I know I have to make birdies,” Simpson said.

Mickelson made seven Friday.

One day after joking that he “turned a 66 into a 71” in the opening round with some missed opportunities, Mickelson got his 66.

“Right now nobody is turning 66s into 71s better than me,” Mickelson joked, so it’s nice to finally shoot that 66 and get the score that reflects the way I feel I’m playing.”

Mickelson thought he didn’t play all that bad last week, but still missed the cut at The Players Championship. He appears to be back in a big way.

McIlroy was on his game, too.

The world’s top-ranked player said his focus Friday was on eliminating mistakes after an up-and-down 70 the day before. He did just that, posting five birdies and no bogeys. He was never in any real danger of making bogey in what he called a “stress-free round.”

“Anytime you can play a round of golf with no bogeys you’re doing something right,” said McIlroy, who won the 2010 event for his first PGA Tour victory.

McIlroy rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the first hole to gain some early momentum. He went on to hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation with 29 putts.

With four top-10 finishes in six events this year, McIlroy’s confidence keeps growing. He said his biggest strength now is his patience, understanding that he doesn’t have to go for every birdie opportunity.

“Just knowing from experience what a good score is and (that) sometimes, if it’s just not happening, you’re not losing any ground,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I could have shot 63 or 64, but realizing that 67 is still a good score and puts me in position going into the weekend.”

The biggest surprise high on the leaderboard is the 22-year-old Rodgers, a regular on the Web.com Tour who is playing on a sponsor’s exemption. He ranks 333rd in the world and has never finished in the top 25 on the PGA Tour.

That clearly didn’t affect his confidence.

Rodgers, who played at Stanford, rents a house with Jordan Spieth in Jupiter, Florida. He plays golf with the Masters champion regularly at The Bear’s Club. He said being around one of the best golfer’s in the world is making him better.

“The young guys are ready to come out here and win,” Rodgers said. “I feel no different. I feel really prepared. That’s why I turned professional. I’m excited to get in the mix this weekend.”

Flores is in the mix too for the second straight year.

He shared the lead at the midway point of the Wells Fargo Championship last year with Angel Cabrera and turned in a career-best third place finish. He shot 67 on Friday.

“Certain courses kind of fit your eye,” Flores said. “This is one of them.”

Simpson’s eye was just fine, too.

He chipped in on the par-4 ninth hole from the right side of the green, then duplicated the feat on the difficult par-3 17th hole to move into a tie for the lead when Streb stumbled on No. 16 and recorded his only bogey of the tournament.

But the shot of the day belonged to Colt Knost, who had a hole-in-one on the difficult 227-yard 17th hole. Knost knocked his tee shot over the water and it rolled 30 feet to the hole, hitting the flag stick and fell in.

He grabbed the ball out of the cup, turned and lobbed it into the cheering gallery.

He was right on the cut line, but the eagle there and a birdie on the 18th earned him an opportunity to stick around for the weekend.

The tournament was not so kind to some former Wells Fargo champions as J.B. Holmes, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh and Derek Ernst all failed to make the cut.

Canada’s David Hearn, Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Roger Sloan and Mike Weir also missed the cut.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Alison Lee shot a 4-under 67 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead in the LPGA Tour’s Kingsmill Championship.

The 20-year-old Lee, still a student at UCLA after turning pro in December, had a 9-under 133 total on Kingsmill Resort’s River Course.

“Anything can happen. This tournament is only halfway over,” Lee said. “I’m going to try my best to stay focused and stay in the game.”

Lee tied for fourth in the Kia Classic in March in California and has three top-25 finishes.

“Coming into today, I felt really confident, especially after my round yesterday,” Lee said. “I was striking the ball well, was putting well and got it rolling on the front nine.”

She birdied the par-4 first to reach 4 under for the day, dropped a stroke on the par-4 sixth, rebounded with a birdie on the par-5 seventh and closed with two pars.

“Too bad on the back,” Lee said. “I started to kind of lose a lot of the focus and a lot of my concentration and I was kind of struggling with my approach shots. Thankfully, I was able to make a lot of good saves and par saves coming down the stretch.”

Australia’s Minjee Lee and France’s Perrine Delacour were tied for second. The 18-year-old Minjee Lee had a 67, and Delacour shot 68.

Minjee Lee turned pro in September after leading Australia to victory in Japan in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. She eagled the par-5 third, hitting a 4-iron about 200 yards to 7 feet.

“This is my rookie year and kind of the first time I’ve been in this situation, so it’s going to be a whole new experience,” Minjee Lee said. “My mindset? I just want to have fun with my caddie and play some really good golf. Nothing too serious.”

Delacour eagled No. 7, hitting a 3-wood to 10 feet

“I got a lucky bounce and hit the green in two,” Delacour said.

So Yeon Ryu was 6 under after a 69.

“To be honest, my shot is not that really great,” Ryu said. “But really good thing is when I had a chance I made pretty much everything.”

Suzann Pettersen, Christina Kim, Jing Yan and Catriona Matthew were 5 under. Pettersen shot a 65 for the best round of the day, Kim had a 68, and Yan and Matthew shot 67.

“As far as I know this is a four-day tournament,” Pettersen said. “It’s always nice to get a good start. Played OK yesterday, just didn’t get anything out of my round. Scored well today. Course is in great shape. The greens are really, really good.”

Second-ranked Inbee Park was 3 under after a 67. She won the North Texas Shootout two weeks ago for her second victory of the year.

First-round leader Joanna Klatten followed her opening 65 with a 75 to drop into a tie for 22nd at 2 under.

Top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian teen Brooke Henderson also were in the group at 2 under. Ko, a two-time winner this season, and Henderson, playing on a sponsor exemption, each shot 69.

Fellow Canadians Sue Kim, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Jennifer Kirby and Alena Sharp missed the cut.

Third-ranked No. 3 Stacy Lewis had a 74 to drop to 1 over.

Defending champion Lizette Salas missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 73. Three-time Kingsmill winner Cristie Kerr also dropped out, shooting 73-76.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kevin Sutherland and Jeff Maggert both looked as if they were finishing off just another round.

The businesslike Sutherland and Maggert each eagled the par-5 11th hole Friday and shared the second-round lead in the Regions Tradition at 10 under.

Sutherland shot a 6-under 66 at Shoal Creek to catch up to Maggert, the opening-round leader in the first of the Champions Tour’s five majors. Maggert birdied the final two holes for his second straight 67.

Neither player showed much emotion after hitting their final shots and both said their mindset doesn’t change with the lead or without it. It’s probably wise because no 36-hole leader has won the Tradition since Tom Watson in 2003.

“It’s the same as it was the first two days: Get the ball on the fairway and see what happens from there,” Sutherland said. “That’s what you need to do here, and I’ve done it the last two days. And also just kind of have fun and enjoy the moment.”

Maggert’s approach: “The leaderboard doesn’t really come into play until maybe the back nine on Sundays, so just keep playing hard and making birdies.”

Michael Allen was three strokes back after a 67, and defending champion Kenny Perry had a 69 to join Bernhard Langer and Fred Funk at 5 under. Langer shot 66, and Funk 69.

Sutherland is seeking his first Champions Tour victory. He tied for second in Mississippi in March.

Maggert won the Mississippi event last year for his lone title on the 50-and-over tour.

Maggert rallied from bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5, then had a strong finish. His tee shot into the bunker on the final hole ended up serving him well.

“To be honest with you, it was the best angle to shoot at that flag,” Maggert said. “I had a good lie in the bunker so actually a bad drive turned out to be a good one there. I was able to be a little bit more aggressive and shoot toward the flag.”

He set up the eagle with a hybrid approach from 220 yards that settled 8 feet past the hole. Sutherland’s 233-yard hybrid shot was even closer.

“I wasn’t really trying to hit it at the pin,” Sutherland said. “I was just trying to hit it toward the middle of the green. I overcut it a little bit and when it was rolling it banged the pin. It literally was less than two inches from the hole. It landed over the bunker and the next thing I know, the ball came to an abrupt stop.”

Allen birdied the final two holes. On the last, his 50-foot putt hovered so long on the hole that he took several steps toward it before it plopped in.

“I thought it was hanging on the back of the hole, but (caddie Pete Bender) said he blew really hard,” Allen said. “He said he blew the ball in the hole. It’s kind of nice, because so many times you hit good putts that don’t go in. It’s nice to hit a long putt like that. You’re just trying to get close. I was happy to two-putt. To have it go in is a nice bonus, a great way to finish the day.

Langer rebounded from an opening 73 with a 31 on the first nine holes. He had a run of three straight birdies end on No. 11. The two-time Masters champion is coming off a closing 75 and a 21st-place finish at the Insperity Invitational in Texas.

Two-time winner Tom Lehman matched Langer and Sutherland’s tournament-low round of 66, 10 shots better than his opener. He was 2 under.

TERRASA, Spain – Edouard Espana of France shot a 3-under-69 Friday to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Spanish Open.

Espana made four birdies to go with one bogey despite strong winds sweeping the Real Club de Golf El Prat course near Barcelona, leaving him at 7-under 137 and one stroke ahead of Argentine Ricardo Gonzalez.

Espana is Spanish for Spain, making the French player a suitable leader for this particular tournament. The Spanish name of the event is Open de Espana.

“I’m leading an open with my name everywhere, so it’s very cool,” Espana said. “My family is from Spain, that’s why my name is Espana. It’s really good, my cousins are here this week.”

Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez made his second hole-in-one of the season and the ninth of his European Tour career on the eighth hole. Jimenez’s ace equaled Colin Montgomerie’s European Tour record.

The 51-year-old Jimenez sits six shots back heading into the weekend.

Seventh-ranked Sergio Garcia shot a 72 to narrowly make the cut, 10 shots off Espana’s lead.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Phil Mickelson faded early and Rory McIlroy tailed off late. Robert Streb just kept on making birdies.

Streb shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead over Patrick Reed and Kevin Chappell after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

McIlroy appeared on the verge of a late run at the leaderboard before making a double bogey on the difficult par-3 17th hole. The world’s top-ranked player appeared stunned when his tee shot hit the rock wall in front of the green and his ball caromed high into the air and into the water. He finished with a 70.

“One big mistake,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy had just made par on the 16th hole by hitting a 9-iron pin high from 166 yards. He went with an 8-iron from 178 yards on No. 17, but it wound up not being enough to carry the water when his ball got held up in the wind.

Despite the error, McIlroy said overall he was pleased with his round.

“I did what I wanted to,” said McIlroy, who won the event in 2010 for his first PGA Tour title. “I took advantage of the par 5s and made birdie on a couple of par 4s.”

Mickelson had his troubles too after a fast start.

Lefty opened with three birdies, but had a double bogey on the 18th hole when his tee shot wound up in the creek on the left side of the fairway. He shot 71, leaving him six shots back.

Mickelson has long expressed his affinity for Quail Hollow, saying it is suits his game perfectly. Yet, he is winless in 11 tries, although he has come close with five top-5 finishes.

He got things off to a rousing start, sinking birdie putts from 6, 9 and 12 feet to start the back nine, drawing roars from a crowd. But the putts wouldn’t fall for Mickelson after his initial burst.

“I turned a 66 into a 71 today,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson, who missed the cut last week at The Players Championship, insists his game “isn’t that far off.”

“Fortunately, I didn’t shoot myself out of the tournament,” he said.

While Mickelson faded after his strong start, Streb didn’t.

After tying for 30th at The Players, Streb set the early pace with two quick birdies on the back nine and played a bogey-free round.

His 65 was the second-best opening round score of his brief PGA Tour career. He found his putting stroke last week at TPC Sawgrass and it was right there again at Quail Hollow.

“It’s the first time in a while I feel like I have my putter working,” Streb said.

It didn’t hurt that he caught a few breaks along the way.

On the par-5 seventh hole, Streb hit a pitch shot from 10 feet off the green too hard, but the ball hit midway up the flagstick and dropped 4 feet from the hole, leading to an easy birdie.

“I smashed the flag,” Streb said with a sheepish grin.

While many of the fans were heading for the parking lot to call it a day, Chappell turned in a strong finish with an eagle on the par-5 seventh and a birdie on the eighth to move into a tie with Reed for second place.

Reed spent time tied for the lead, but couldn’t maintain it after failing to save par on No. 17 when his tee shot landed in the sand.

Stewart Cink topped the six-player group at 67.

Defending tournament champion J.B. Holmes put himself in position to become the first repeat winner in the tournament’s 13-year history by opening with a 69.

“I’m feeling really good about my game,” Holmes said.

Many of the world’s top players skipped the event, including Players winner Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson. Ernie Els withdrew because of a muscle strain.

 Canada’s Nick Taylor opened with a 1-under 71 and was the top Canadian thru 18 holes.

Three Canadians were a stroke back at even-par 72 including Adam Hadwin, Roger Sloan and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Corey Conners – who is playing on a sponsors invite.

David Hearn (73) and Mike Weir (76) round on the Canadians in this week’s field.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – France’s Joanna Klatten had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and finished with a 6-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Kingsmill Championship.

Klatten birdied Nos. 3-6 and 8 and closed with a par on No. 9 on Kingsmill Resort’s River Course.

“I made a few bombs, which is nice, but it was just solid,” Klatten said. “I’ve been playing pretty good lately. Just struggled with the putting the last few tournaments, but today it was fixed.

“I definitely had luck on my side today. I had good breaks and it feels good. Lately, it felt the other way around, but I knew that it always evens out. Today, it definitely did.”

The 30-year-old former Georgia State player is winless in 27 career events on the LPGA Tour.

“This is one of my favorite courses all year,” Klatten said. “I feel very comfortable here. It suits my eye really well. I think you have an advantage if you’re among the long hitters.”

Morgan Pressel, Alison Lee and Pat Hurst were a stroke back, and So Yeon Ryu, Paula Creamer, Jacqui Concolino and Perrine Delacour followed at 67.

Michelle Wie withdrew because of a hip injury after a 78.

“Regrettably, I need to withdraw today due to a left hip injury that has been bothering me this week,” Wie said on Twitter.

She had a double bogey, six bogeys and one birdie.

Pressel had five birdies in a bogey-free round. Winless since 2008, she has two top-three finishes in her last four events. She was third in the ANA Inspiration and second in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

“I just played pretty steady out there today,” Pressel said. “I don’t think I hit the ball quite as well as I would’ve liked to, but made a few really good up-and-downs. Made birdie when I had the opportunity. The good up-and-downs certainly were part of the reason why I had no bogeys.”

Lee had seven birdies and two bogeys. The 20-year-old former UCLA star tied fourth in the Kia Classic in March and has three top-25 finishes in her rookie season.

“I was able to grab a couple birdies going down the stretch,” Lee said. “Especially the last four holes – I got three birdies. I’ve been putting it a lot better. That’s what I’ve struggling with the past month, like my putting. But I had a lot of good rolls today.”

The 45-year-old Hurst had a bogey-free round. She won the last of her six LPGA Tour titles in 2009.

“You got to hit the ball well out here,” Hurst said. “It’s all about the angles out here and being on the right side of the fairway and the way you come into the greens. If you’re hitting the ball good, it’s easier to put them in that spot.”

Third-ranked Stacy Lewis opened with a 69, top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian teen sensation Brooke Henderson shot 71s, and second-ranked Inbee Park had a 72.

Three-time Kingsmill winner Cristie Kerr had a 73, and defending champion Lizette Salas shot 74.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jeff Maggert experienced the potential ups and downs of Shoal Creek during a round that was still good enough to put him on top.

Maggert birdied three of the final four holes Thursday for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Kevin Sutherland at the Regions Tradition.

He held onto the lead at the first of the Champions Tour’s five majors despite a bogey on No. 18. He said a hot start is nice, but patience will be important the rest of the week on a course where Kenny Perry won at 7 under last year.

“The difficulty of the course, you don’t have to come out and tear it up for four days,” Maggert said. “You know there’s going to be some rough times on the course. Just the history of the tournament here, I think 10 to 15 under’s probably a typical range you would like to be in on Sunday.

“A few more 5 unders would help a lot in that regard.”

Maggert is seeking his second win on the 50-and-over tour after a victory in Mississippi last year. Sutherland is chasing his first senior title.

Maggert had five birdies on the first nine holes before the roller-coaster finish. He had three bogeys and three birdies on the back nine, but did make a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe on No. 16.

Tom Watson, Colin Montgomerie and Wes Short Jr. were two strokes back at 69.

Sutherland had six birdies and two bogeys before parring the final five holes. It’s his first time playing Shoal Creek since the U.S. Amateur in 1986 and, he said, “I didn’t remember much except for the fact that I did like it.”

“Any time you make six birdies, I don’t care where you’re playing, that’s a good day,” said Sutherland, who made a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 9.

Sutherland’s biggest claim to fame was shooting the Champions Tour’s first 59 last August in Endicott, New York.

“Kevin’s been playing pretty good this year so it’s not surprising that he had a good round,” Maggert said. “But it’s a ball-striker’s course. You can’t just aim for the middle of the green and shoot a good score.

“You’ve got to pay attention to where the pins are on the greens.”

The 65-year-old Watson had to chip out of the bunker below the green on the final hole, saving par with a 12-footer.

“It makes dinner taste a lot better, it always does,” he said. “I made a stupid decision on 18 to go for the flag there. It’s not a flag that you go at. You go left of the flag, get your two putts out of there and get out of there with a par.

“I did a pretty stupid shot right there. I was trying to go right at it. Ego got involved again.”

Then again, he made a 50-foot putt for birdie on No. 4, “so that’s like stealing.” It’s Watson’s best opening round at the tournament since 2009, when he also had a 67 at Sunriver Resort in Oregon. He finished in a three-way tie for fifth.

Montgomerie had a closing birdie. Short finished with a bogey with a chance to catch up to Sutherland and perhaps Maggert. Short had two straight birdies going into 18.

Perry and David Frost, who both have won this tournament since it moved to Shoal Creek in 2011, were among nine players at 2 under.

Tom Lehman, who won in 2011 and 2012, opened with a 76. Points leader Joe Durant was three shots better at 73.

Canada’s Rod Spittle opened with a 74 and had a share of 43rd.

TERRASA, Spain – Trevor Fisher of South Africa led the Spanish Open by one shot after the opening round on Thursday.

His eight birdies were spoiled only by a bogey in his 7-under-par 65 at Real Club de Golf El Prat.

Fisher, who won his first European Tour title in March at the Africa Open, said he “hit one or two loose shots” but felt he “putted really well.”

In a tie for second, a shot back, were Tommy Fleetwood of England, Eduardo de la Riva of Spain, and Darren Fichardt of South Africa.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, who became the oldest champion on the tour at 50 when he won this title last year, finished on level-par 72, while Sergio Garcia carded 75 with six bogeys.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The 12-person team representing the Washington State Golf Association (WSGA) took a slim lead into the second day’s play and held on to win the 10th PNGA Cup.

The Ryder Cup-style matches were held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore., and featured 48 of the finest amateur golfers representing the Washington, Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia golf associations.

After the first day’s play in the four-ball and foursome matches, Team WSGA held a half point lead over Team OGA, while Team B.C. Golf trailed by four points and Team IGA by five and a half.

In the singles matches today, Team WSGA extended their lead by winning seven points on the day.

Finishing second overall was Team OGA, two points back. Team B.C. Golf had been bidding to win their third consecutive PNGA Cup, but came up four points short. In fourth place was Team IGA, with seven and a half points.

This is the second time Team WSGA has won this championship, having previously won it in 2008.

Full results available here.