Despite vision problems, Kenny Perry is so comfortable playing at the Colonial that he's still in the lead by three strokes with a tournament-record score after two rounds on Friday.
Perry, who has difficulty reading greens or seeing clearly from long distances and shady spots, shot a bogey-free 7-under 63 for his best round of the year, moving to 12-under 128. That is the 36-hole scoring record at Colonial, where Perry also holds the overall scoring record of 19 under for his 2003 victory.
D.J. Trahan (67) and Ted Purdy (65), whose first U.S. PGA Tour victory was last week at the Byron Nelson Championship, were tied for second at 9 under. Kirk Triplett was another stroke back in fourth after his second straight 66.
First-round leader Patrick Sheehan was 10 strokes worse on Friday, a 72 following a 62 that gave him a two-stroke lead. Sheehan, who like Trahan hasn't won on the tour, goes into the weekend six strokes back.
After starting with birdies on his first two holes, Perry wrapped up a front-side 31 by hitting out of a fairway bunker to set up a 14-foot birdie putt at the 408-yard ninth.
His 21-foot putt skimmed just past the hole at No. 10, then he saved pars with short putts after blasting out of a greenside bunker at No. 12 and putting from the fringe at the 171-yard 13th.
Perry won at Bay Hill in March, then missed two cuts before finishing better than 29th just once the last three tournaments. His opening 65 at the Colonial was his best round of the year, until Friday.
His Colonial win in 2003 was overshadowed by Annika Sorenstam being the first woman to play on the US PGA Tour in 58 years.
Perry was second at Hogan's Alley the year before, and last May finished 12th as the defending champion.
Trahan knew the smart move off the No. 9 tee was to hit a 3-wood. The aggressive play paid off, as he stuck a driver in the middle of the fairway past the bordering bunkers before a pitch shot that set up a 6-foot birdie.
"I'm a feel player," he said. "The swing felt good. Had I stood on the tee and not felt it, I wouldn't have hit the driver. But I set a pretty strong and aggressive game plan and I stuck to it."
That wrapped up a front-side showing of three birdies and three bogeys for the US PGA Tour rookie, who added three more birdies for a 67.
Greg Norman withdrew from the Senior US PGA Championship on Friday, postponing his debut on the 50-and-over circuit while he recovers from back surgery.
Norman had back surgery on March 22 and planned to return for the Senior US PGA, which will be held next week at Laurel Valley Golf Club outside Pittsburgh.
Norman said his recovery is ahead of schedule, and he expects to return to competition at the end of June.
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