Respect and admiration
Final pairing puts friends together
Kentucky's Kenny Perry is not thinking about passing Jack Nicklaus as the oldest Masters Tournament champion yet.
There are still two rounds to go, and the 48-year-old Perry is tied for the lead with Chad Campbell, who is 14 years his junior.
But after his 5-under-par 67 on Friday, Perry let his mind wander to next month, when he and his father, Ken, will be the grand marshals at the Kentucky Derby.
Perry said he expects to do a "lot of waving and hand-shaking. Hopefully I can wear the green jacket while I'm doing all that. Dad has always said, 'You need to win that green jacket.' He always calls me and tells me."
First, Perry has to make two more trips around Augusta National, where his best finish in eight starts is a tie for 12th.
If he continues his pace -- or "keeps the train rolling," in Perry's words -- he might be slipping on a green jacket Sunday night.
Perry, one of just two players in the field to shoot in the 60s both days, is at 9-under 135 along with Campbell, the first-round leader, who followed his opening 65 with a 70.
Perry, who is ranked 11th in the world, is exuding a distinct air of confidence.
"I feel like I can win," Perry said "I won the FBR this season and won three times last year. Everything has been running right on schedule."
There is a major presence behind the co-leaders. Angel Cabrera, the 2007 U.S. Open champion, has shot a pair of 68s and is one shot off the lead.
And 2004 British Open champion Todd Hamilton is another shot back after rounds of 68-70.
Cabrera, who tied for eighth in the 2006 Masters and is known for his long driving, is enjoying the challenge of the fast Augusta National greens. He had 26 putts on Thursday and 29 on Friday.
"I like playing tough greens. I guess what I like is just to play the way they are and like everybody else, but just when greens are so tough, you need to be patient, and that's what I tried to do," Cabrera said through a translator.
Each of the top five players on the leaderboard birdied the 18th, including Tim Clark, who trails by four shots.
MASTERS ROOKIE ANTHONY KIM, who had the day's low round with 65 and a Masters record 11 birdies, heads a group of five players five shots off the lead. The others are Jim Furyk (74 on Friday), Sergio Garcia (67), Rory Sabbatini (67) and Shingo Katayama (73).
Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington are at 142, seven shots off the lead. Harrington, in search of his third consecutive major championship victory, had just one birdie in his 73.
Woods, playing in his first major championship in 10 months, didn't help himself with a 72 that featured just three birdies. The world's No. 1 golfer, who opened with 70, had another tough day on the greens with 32 putts after a 29-putt round Thursday.
"I've got to play a little bit better than I have, make a few more puts and clear up my round," Woods said.
The birdies on No. 18 by Perry and Campbell knocked some big names out of the field. In addition to the top 44 and ties making the cut, all those within 10 shots of the lead survived.
Among those not making the cut at 1-over 145 were Fred Couples (for the second consecutive year), Jose Maria Olazabal, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Adam Scott.
An even 50 players made the weekend rounds, which start at 10:35 a.m. today. That's five more than last year.
Greg Norman was also among those failing to qualify for the weekend. He needed to play the back nine in even par to make it, but shot a 40.
"It's still the best tournament around, and unfortunately I won't be around on the weekend," said Norman, playing in his first Masters in seven years.
SHOULD PERRY OR CAMPBELL win, it would be the first time since World War II that the winner did not qualify the previous year.
They are making up for that lost year so far. Campbell has hit 75 percent of the fairways, 69 percent of the greens and averaged 26 putts per round.
Perry has missed just seven fairways off the tee, and leads the field in greens hit in regulation with 29 of 36 greens. He is averaging 28 putts per round.
"Everything is just going great," Perry said. "I understand what I'm trying to do, what I'm trying to accomplish. Can I? I think I can. I really believe I can win this tournament. Will I? I don't know."
Campbell will have a say in that, and Perry is well aware of it. They are good friends and Ryder Cup teammates who often play practice rounds together.
"He's a guy who can make a lot of birdies when he gets hot," Perry said.
"He's going to be tough to beat," Campbell said of Perry. "He's an awesome player. He's one of the best drivers there is out here; probably, possibly the best driver of the ball we have. Great player. He's a great friend of mine, too, so I'm glad to see him playing well."
Campbell had finished his round five groups ahead of Perry at 9-under for the tournament. Perry was well aware of that when he got to No. 18.
"I wanted to make that last putt to tie him," said Perry, who rolled in a three-foot birdie and will play alongside Campbell today, starting at 2:45 p.m.
Campbell has been here before. In 2006, he was the second-round leader at 6-under 138. He followed with 75 to drop a shot off the lead and closed with 71 to tie for third.
"I don't really know exactly what I learned, but I know it's nice that I've been in that position before," he said.
Perry has never led a round in the Masters. If he does win, he will eclipse Nicklaus as the oldest champion. Nicklaus won his sixth green jacket in 1986, at age 46.
"That's another first for me, for one thing," he said. "At least I can tell everybody I led the Masters once in my life. I think that's pretty cool.
"But I think I'm mature enough now to handle it. I think I'm ready to handle the situation. Back in the mid-'90s if I was in this situation, I would have been a totally different person. I'm very relaxed. I'm ready to go. My game is good, my swing is good, my putting is good. Usually when I get in those areas, I'm able to kind of hang in there with them."
If you're looking for omens, Campbell need look no further than Boo Weekley, his playing partner for the first days. Last year, Weekley was the first- and second-round playing partner for champion Trevor Immelman,
Asked if he's the good luck charm, Weekley said, "I might be. I don't know, it just must be me, I reckon."
Weekley watched Campbell strike for 14 birdies over two days against three bogeys. "He's in the zone, man," Weekley said. "That's the thing about that guy. If you've ever watched him, he gets like that. And when he gets like that, it's hard to stop him."
Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
