Two share lead at 11 under after stormy Day 2
PEABODY, Mass. — Kenny Perry shot a 6-under 64 Friday for a share of the U.S. Senior Open lead with Kirk Triplett at a record 11 under through two rounds at Salem Country Club northeast of Boston.
Triplett followed his opening 62 with a 67 in the morning, and then Perry came from three strokes back to tie him.
Perry missed a 25-footer for birdie 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.
One day after matching the record for any round in any senior tour major, Triplett needed a couple of saves to remain atop the leader board and break the 36-hole mark his college teammate at Nevada set in 2013.
“I love to beat him, but he beats me probably more than I beat him,” Triplett said about Allen. “I’m sure he looks at me and goes, how did that guy beat me today?”
Doug Garwood (67) was two strokes back at 9 under, and Bernhard Langer (65) and Scott Verplank (66) were 8 under. Langer won the first two majors on the PGA Tour Champions this year.
Garwood, who won the SAS Championship in 2016 and has one top-10 finish in 2017, has been fighting back injuries — a herniated disk, arthritis, bone spurs and misalignment of the spine — that required an epidural last week. Tuesday, he had to interrupt his practice round to lie down.
Among the notables making the weekend was Tom Watson, who shot back-toback 69s after missing the cut at the Senior PGA Championship in May.
Defending champion Gene Sauers was at 5 over and was projected to miss the cut on the number.
Eight threesomes failed to finish the second round before play was suspended because of weather.