Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler move into contention at Wells Fargo Championship

Phil Mickelson said this week it is “imminent” that he’ll win the Wells Fargo Championship sooner or later.

The 46-year-old is in contention once again at one of his favorite tournaments, although he will need to outplay former champions Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler to make good on that prediction this week.

Andrew Loupe topped the leaderboard Friday at eight under after a 71, an up-and-down round with four birdies and three bogeys. Roberto Castro was a stroke back after a 66, the best round of the day. He eagled No. 18, one of the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour.

Chesson Hadley and Mark Hubbard were two shots back. Hadley had a 67, and Hubbard shot 68.

But big names were looming.

Fowler shot a 68, and Mickelson had a 70 to reach five under. McIlroy, the defending champion and only two-time winner of the event, bogeyed the final two holes for a 69 to drop six strokes back.

Mickelson has tied for fifth or better six times in 12 starts at Quail Hollow, but has never won.

While Mickelson said it’s “still a little early” to start thinking about winning. He was striking the ball well the past week in practice, but can’t put his finger on why he’s missing so many fairways with his driver.

“My touch around the greens, my short game is as good as it’s been in a long time and I think it will save me if I happen to not strike it well,” Mickelson said. “If I do strike it well, I think there’s a really low round in there.”

He’s winless since the 2013 British Open.

Ryu has two-stroke lead at LPGA Classic

So Yeon Ryu birdied five of her last eight holes for a bogey-free seven-under 65 and a two-stroke lead after two rounds in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic.

Ranked 10th in the world but sixth in the race for the four spots on South Korea’s Olympic team, Ryu made three straight birdies on Nos. 2-4 and added two more on the par-four sixth and par-five eighth.

The 2011 U.S. Women’s Open champion had a nine-under 135 total on the links-style Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Capitol Hill complex.

Minjee Lee, Morgan Pressel and Ryann O’Toole were tied for second. Lee closed with a bogey for a 70. The 19-year-old Australian won last month in Hawaii for her second LPGA Tour title. Pressel had a 68, and O’Toole birdied her final hole for a 67.

First-round leader Laetitia Beck followed her opening 65 with a 73 to drop into a tie for fifth at 6 under with Caroline Masson (68) and Annie Park (71). The 24-year-old Beck is the first Israeli player to qualify for the LPGA Tour.

Daly makes Champions debut

John Daly shot a two-under 70 in his PGA Tour Champions debut, leaving him four strokes behind first-round leader Mike Goodes in the Insperity Invitational.

Daly had four birdies and two bogeys at The Woodlands Country Club, playing alongside friend Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobsen. The two-time major champion was tied for 12th. He turned 50 on April 28.

Daly parred the first six holes, bogeyed the par-four seventh and rebounded with birdies on the par-three eighth and par-four ninth. He added birdies on the par-four 11th and par-five 13th, had a bogey on the par-three 14th and closed with four pars.

The 59-year-old Goodes bogeyed the par-4 18th for a 66. He made four straight birdies on Nos. 13-16.

Canada’s Stephen Ames had a 67, and area resident Jeff Maggert and Duffy Waldorf shot 68. Defending champion Ian Woosnam opened with a 73. Zoeller and Jacobsen each shot 76.