Perry leads Garcia, Langer and Goydos at Sawgrass

Golf Betting Lines

05/09/2008 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Golf Betting) - Kenny Perry posted a two-under 70 on Friday and moved to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds of The Players Championship.

In windy, demanding conditions at the Stadium Course at the TPC at Sawgrass, Perry finished 36 holes at six-under 138 and is one clear of three players.

Overnight leader Sergio Garcia (73), Paul Goydos (71) and 50-year-old Bernhard Langer (67) are tied for second at minus-five.

With the exception of the 28-year-old Garcia, the top of the leaderboard features an older guard.

Perry is 47, while Goydos is 43. Langer is the leading money winner on the Champions Tour so far in 2008 thanks to a pair of victories on the elder circuit.

"The old guys played okay so far," said Perry. "The young guns have kind of beat up on us a little this year. We're going to get after them."

Two of Perry's so-called "young guns" are just off the pace.

Anthony Kim continued his great form that took him to an easy win last week at the Wachovia Championship. On Friday, Kim shot his second two-under 70 in as many rounds and is alone in fifth at minus-four.

Boo Weekley, who won the Heritage for the second straight year last month, carded a one-under 71 and is in sixth at three-under-par 141.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson only managed a one-over 73 on Friday, but is part of a group tied for 12th at minus-one.

"Anything under par heading into the weekend is right in it. Even par is right in it," said Mickelson, who can become the first player to successfully defend his title here. "If I can get a good round tomorrow I'll be in good position for Sunday, and that's really all we want is a good opportunity for Sunday."

Perry has the best opportunity through two rounds.

He began his second round on the 10th tee and collected his first birdie of the round at the par-five 11th. Perry sank a 15-footer there, then holed a pair of par putts from over 10 feet at 13 and 14.

Perry birdied the next par-five, the 16th, when his seven-footer found the bottom of the cup. He missed an 11-footer for birdie at 18, but drained a 10- footer for birdie at one.

Throughout the remainder of his second nine, Perry made six straight pars - some good, some bad. He came up short on a 10-foot birdie putt at three, but got up and down with a putter from over 100 feet at No. 5.

The good times ran out for Perry at the par-three eighth. His five-iron tee ball rolled into the back bunker and he could not save par from five feet. Perry did save par from five feet out at the last to get in at minus-six.

"Very proud of the round. It was the kind of day where you could shoot a big number in a hurry," said Perry. "I was very patient, drove the ball good again today. The secret to my round, I putted great. I made a lot of nice four- to eight-footers for par all day today."

Perry has not visited the winner's circle since his multiple win season of 2005. He tied for third this year at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and has not missed a cut since January.

Perhaps his motivation stems from the site of this year's Ryder Cup. Perry is a Kentucky native and Valhalla is the host course. It's also the venue he lost a playoff for the 1996 PGA Championship.

"It'd be the icing on the cake for me," said Perry. "I've talked to Paul (Azinger, U.S. Ryder Cup captain) a lot. I sure would love to be on that team. I feel there's a little payback owed me at that golf course."

Perry played well, but got a break from Garcia to be in the lead.

Garcia tapped in a short birdie putt at the 16th to grab sole possession of the lead at seven-under. At the famed island green at 17, Garcia hit his tee ball long and watched it run along a carpeted path.

He dropped and pitched all the way across the green, nearly into the water. Garcia's third stopped eight feet short and he missed the bogey putt to fall down to five-under.

"The wind stopped," Garcia said, referring to his tee ball at 17. "It went a little long."

Garcia recovered to find the fairway at 18. He hit a spectacular approach that spun back to eight feet, but Garcia, ranked 131st on tour, missed the putt that would've tied him for the lead.

"I'm not disappointed. I think that I played well. I was quite calm," said Garcia, who was runner-up to Mickelson last year. "I felt like I was in control of what I was doing, and unfortunately it just would have been nice to make that putt on 18. It just didn't want to go in. What can you do about that?"

Langer mixed an eagle, six birdies, including a 60-footer at 17, and three bogeys for his round of 67.

"I've probably had the best start to any tournament I've played in my career," said Langer, who admitted he almost withdrew on Wednesday due to a bad back. "I was six-under after eight playing close to perfection. I hit the ball well and putted well, did everything right."

Goydos eagled the second, then recorded three birdies and three bogeys through 17. At the last, he drove into the right rough and could not hole the seven- footer for par that would have kept him tied with Perry.

Fred Couples (72), 2006 champion Stephen Ames (68), Briny Baird (71), John Merrick (72), Kevin Stadler (72) and Ben Crane (72) are knotted in seventh at minus-two.

The 36-hole cut fell at three-over 147. Sean O'Hair, who was in a great duel with Mickelson last year until a disastrous 17th, Vijay Singh, reigning British Open champion Padraig Harrington, U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera, Geoff Ogilvy, Steve Stricker and K.J. Choi will all miss the weekend.