John Daly shot a 2-under-par 70 in his PGA Tour Champions debut Friday, leaving him four strokes behind leader Mike Goodes in the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands, Texas.

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 turned 50 April 28.

‘‘It was like starting all over,’’ Daly said. ‘‘The nerves were good, but it’s cool coming out here and having positive nerves, and I just fed off Fuzzy and Jake. You know, I couldn’t have asked to play with two better people. For my first round on the Champions Tour, we just had a blast.’’

Daly was in a nine-man tie for 12th. He hit 13 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens in regulation, and topped the field with a driving average of 317.5 yards on the two measuring holes.

‘‘I was surprised how good I hit the ball,’’ Daly said. ‘‘I mean, I hit a lot of fairways, and that 1-iron was a blessing today for me. Even when I didn’t hit it good, it was going in the fairway, and I gave myself a lot of chances, a lot of chances to hit greens, and a lot of opportunities.’’

Daly parred the first six holes, bogeyed the par-4 seventh, and rebounded with birdies on the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth. He added birdies on the par-4 11th and par-5 13th, had a bogey on the par-3 14th, and closed with four pars.

‘‘I just couldn’t get the putter to make anything,’’ Daly said. ‘‘But I rolled it good, and for me that’s what mattered today, is just hitting the ball solid and getting it around, and I didn’t shoot myself out of the tournament.’’

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

PGA — 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 at 8 under after a 71, an up-and-down round in Charlotte, N.C., 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 5 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.

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.

LPGA — So Yeon Ryu birdied five of her last eight holes for a bogey-free 7-under 65 and a two-stroke lead in the Yokohama Tire Classic at Prattville, Ala.

European — In Rabat, Morocco, rookie Francesco Laporta opened a one-shot lead at the Trophee Hassan II with a 2-under-par 70 in the second round.