Webb Simpson chipped in twice for birdie and shot a five-under 67 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Robert Streb in the US PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship.
Streb had a 69 to match Simpson at 10-under 134 at Quail Hollow in North Carolina.
Simpson, who lives in Charlotte, chipped in on the par-four ninth hole from the right side of the green, then duplicated the feat on the difficult par-three 17th hole to move into a first-place tie.
"Playing here quite often, I know where the best places are to miss (the green)," said Simpson.
He's aware it will take plenty more big shots over the weekend to win with some of golf's top names lurking behind him.
"I know I have to make birdies," Simpson said.
World No.1 Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson sit three shots back.
Mickelson had a 66, and McIlroy matched Simpson's 67 while Martin Flores and Patrick Rodgers were tied for third at eight under.
One day after joking that he "turned a 66 into a 71" in the opening round with some missed opportunities, Mickelson turned things around.
"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 badly last week, but still missed the cut at the Players Championship.
He appears to be back in a big way.
McIlory said his focus on 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 realising that 67 is still a good score and puts me in position going into the weekend."
Australia's Geoff Ogilvy fired a round of three under to be four shots off the pace at six-under-par.
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