Mickelson Looks Sharp and Leads at Quail Hollow CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The surprise is not that Phil Mickelson is part-owner of a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred that once was considered a potential entrant in the Kentucky Derby. Mickelson, who enjoys placing wagers on major sporting events like the Super Bowl, grew up in San Diego, not far from the Del Mar racetrack. The surprise is that the horses never grabbed hold of Mickelson's imagination or wallet. The real horseman in the family is Mickelson's younger brother, Tim, the men's golf coach at Arizona State. "I would be surprised if he knows the name of our horse," Mickelson's brother wrote in an e-mail. Under Review is the name of the colt, and the verdict is in on Mickelson's horse racing acumen: he has none. "I'm trying to get into it," Mickelson said Friday after taking a two-stroke lead at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. He and I are fractional owners in a horse, but I couldn't tell you the name of it. The horse, a gray son of Even the Score, won his first race, a $50,000 maiden claimer, last August in Arlington Park and finished second its next time out. Under Review has not raced since being injured in February, but all is not lost. Mickelson carded a five-under 67 for a 36-hole total of nine-under 135, two strokes ahead of Scott Gardiner (67), Nick Watney (70) and George McNeill (68). "If he had done that," Mickelson said, referring to Under Review's racing Saturday in Louisville, "I probably would be there, because I've never been to the Derby. I hear what a great environment it is, but I'm kind of happy it didn't work out because I like being right here. Gardiner, a 37-year-old tour rookie from Australia, made three cuts in his first 12 starts, so he seemed surprised as anybody to be two strokes off the lead after a second-round 67. Have you seen my résumé this year? Gardiner joked. Asked what his expectations were coming into the tournament, Gardiner, who lives in Arkansas, his wife's home state, laughed and said, "Agony." Gardiner, the first player of Aboriginal descent to have full status on the PGA Tour, has not had a three-putt in two rounds, which is more than Rory McIlroy, the world No. 2, can say. McIlroy, the 2010 champion and the only top-10 player in the field, three-putted from 15 feet on his first hole Friday en route to a 71, which left him in a five-way tie for fifth at six under. Nobody's game has been more scrutinized than McIlroy's, since he changed equipment at the start of the year. Asked about his switch from Titleist to Nike again on Friday, he said, "I'm comfortable with my game." Mickelson, a winner in Phoenix, struggled toward the end of Thursday's round, his first competitive appearance since the Masters. He drained a 19-foot putt on the final hole to avoid a bogey-bogey finish. "I got just a little bit tired, I think," he said. Mickelson's game Friday was at its sharpest down the stretch. "I know that I've been hitting it well, even though I haven't shown you the first 28 holes," he said. And everything else feels pretty good. Short game, chipping putting, irons feel pretty good. Mickelson is the only player who has not missed a putt from inside 10 feet. "I have to drive it better to be more aggressive to shoot lower this weekend," Mickelson said, "because I'm getting as much out of the round as I can." Notes After Sergio García finished his round of 68 but before he signed his scorecard, he was accompanied by tour rules officials to the television compound. They reviewed how he marked his ball on the 17th green after someone watching the Golf Channel telecast called and questioned it. The rules officials accepted García's explanation that he marked his ball to the side to avoid stepping on the line of his playing partner, Bill Haas, but placed the ball as close as possible to the original spot. García, who is at four under for the tournament, said he would have accepted a penalty without complaint if it turned out he had gained any advantage. "The way my dad brought me up in golf and everything, he showed me that the game is the biggest thing," García said.