Strong finish for Perry; Mickelson cards hole-in-one
Kenny Perry arrives at the putting green and the routine begins.
Players touch him. They ask what he's eating.
"In my 22 years out here, that's never happened," Perry said.
It's happening now because he's on the best roll of his career.
Perry again sizzled following a sluggish start and was 2 strokes off the lead after the second round of the John Deere Classic on Friday in Silvis, Ill.
Playing as well as anyone on the PGA Tour the past two months, the 47-year-old Perry birdied six of his final 10 holes while shooting 5-under 66. That put him in a three-way tie for second place at 11-under 131 with first-round co-leader Charlie Wi (67) and Eric Axley (66).
The strong finish wasn't enough to move past Will Mackenzie (64), who jumped to the top of the leaderboard earlier in the day and is 13 under, but it kept Perry in contention for his third victory in five starts.
"Awesome round," Perry said. "Very proud of this round."
Scottish Open: Phil Mickelson had a hole-in-one at the Scottish Open in Luss, Scotland, to make the cut and go into the weekend 5 strokes behind leader Angel Cabrera.
After missing a succession of makable putts, Mickelson's 5-iron at his 14th hole, the 190-yard fifth, headed straight for the pin, landed 12 feet short, bounced once and rolled into the hole.
"I was struggling to get the ball in the hole with the putter so I needed to hole from off the green," he joked, adding that he's had 15-20 aces as a professional.
"I don't remember the last one. It has been a little while."
Mickelson shot a 4-under-par 67 for the day and picked up 1 stroke on Cabrera, who had a 68 for a 9-under 133.
Cabrera led by 1 over Damien McGrane of Ireland, who shot 66.
Owens Corning Classic: In the quiet of the locker room after missing the cut a year ago, a disgusted Paula Creamer swore she'd get even with Highland Meadows Golf Club.
Making good on that vow, she followed a course-record 60 with a 6-under 65 to build a 6-stroke lead through two rounds of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
Creamer promised her sponsors - also the tournament's title sponsor - that she'd get payback.
"I was telling them, 'I'm coming back. I'm going to come back and play this golf course well,"' said Creamer, who stands at 17-under 125 - the lowest 36-hole total on the LPGA Tour this year by 5 strokes. She also shattered the tournament's two-round record by 6 strokes.
Creamer had 7 birdies and her only bogey of the tournament a day after she birdied nine of the final 11 holes and totaled 11 birdies.