Perry, Triplett lead with record 11 under

PEABODY, Mass. — Kenny Perry’s three-stroke deficit after the first day of the U.S. Senior Open had turned to six by the time he teed off in the second round Friday.

Two holes later, Perry had fallen behind leader Kirk Triplett by eight strokes.

“I guess I was too anxious, too amped up. I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m not going to break 80 today,’ ” he said after shooting a 6-under 64 to tie Triplett for the lead at a record 11 under at once-fearsome, but suddenly forgiving Salem Country Club.

“I just started thinking, I’ve got to figure out a way to settle myself down,” Perry said. “Most of the time, you take off poorly, you stay in that funk. I just didn’t need to let two holes determine the outcome of my tournament.”

Triplett followed his opening 62 with a 67 in the morning, and then Perry hit a bad drive on each of the first two holes. But he birdied four of the last five holes on the front nine and shot 31 on the back, missing a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 18 just moments before the horn sounded to clear the course because of an approaching storm.

The 36-hole total of 129 was one stroke better than the record set by Michael Allen in 2013 in Omaha, Neb. Perry won that year.

— The Associated Press