CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rickie Fowler arrived at the Truist Championship after consecutive top-10s at Signature Events. By all signs, his game was trending upward.

A sinus infection temporarily halted the positive momentum, however. Fowler fought a 102-degree fever before the first round this week, and the effects of the illness could be seen in his opening 74.

“There were times I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hit the hole from a few feet,” Fowler said Friday, “so it was nice to be back in a better spot physically today.”

Eleven shots better, to be exact. Fowler shot a second-round 63 to vault back into contention at the Truist Championship. He beat just five players Thursday. Now he trails only seven. Fowler is T8 at 5-under 137, just four back of leader Sungjae Im. His 63 was the low round of the day by four shots.

After hitting just four fairways Thursday, Fowler missed just three Friday. He was second in both Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Putting in the second round, a dangerous combination.

Quail Hollow is a meaningful place for Fowler, the site of his first PGA TOUR victory in 2012. He has seven top-25s in 11 Truist starts at Quail, as well as a T5 finish in the 2017 PGA Championship here.

This is the first time Fowler has had consecutive top-10s since the opening two events of the FedExCup Playoffs, a surge that vaulted him to 32nd in the FedExCup and qualified him for all of this season’s Signature Events. He’s 30th in this year’s FedExCup thanks to six top-25s in 10 starts.

“There's been a lot of good stuff,” Fowler said. Feeling healthy again, he’s continuing to trend in the right direction.