Mayfair never lost the lead during a mad scramble behind him yesterday at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, N.C., shooting a 1-under-par 71 to build a two-shot lead over Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Davis Love.

One more good round could give Mayfair a magical week. He narrowly made his tee time Monday to qualify for the tournament. He shot 65 to get in, and has kept it going.

“Today was a real test for me,’’ said Mayfair, 43. “I kept it going for 18 holes and still have the lead going into tomorrow.’’

Even without Tiger Woods, who missed the cut, the field offers plenty of star power. Mickelson overcame food poisoning at the start of the week and a few errant shots to put himself in a great position to join a strong list of champions at Quail Hollow.

He birdied the par 5s on the back nine, and escaped with par on the final hole with a two-putt from 60 feet. Mickelson purposely left the flag in the cup on his first putt because he wasn’t aiming at the hole, wanting to avoid any chance of the ball running down a slope. He knocked in a 6-footer for a 71.

Love birdied three of his last five holes for a 4-under 68 and will play in the final group with Mayfair, who is at 9-under 207.

LPGA — Ai Miyazato moved into position for her third victory of the season, shooting a 2-under 71 to take a one-stroke lead over Michelle Wie (73) and Brittany Lincicome (72) in the Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico. Miyazato is at 13 under.