Perry resurrects Ryder Cup magic in Augusta

It stung, sure, but Perry was making the situation personal: If the Ryder Cup was coming to Kentucky, then a good ol' country boy from the Bluegrass State was going to do everything possible to play in it. Perry easily made the team and helped win back the Cup, calling it the best moment in a career that keeps getting better.

This week, in a part of the country where he's never had much success, Perry can turn his undivided attention to claiming the one item that's missing from a body of work that includes 13 PGA Tour wins. It's a major title he's lacking. But perhaps only for two more days.

Playing at a wind-swept Augusta National Golf Club that saw hats flying and sand blowing out of bunkers, Perry was flawless yesterday, shooting a bogey-free 67 that left him at 9 under par and tied for the lead with Chad Campbell at the halfway point of the Masters.

"Everything is just going great. I understand what I'm trying to do, what I'm trying to accomplish," Perry said. "Can I? I think I can. I really believe I can win this tournament. Will I? I don't know."

Perry has plenty of factors in his favor, and a few that are not. At 48, he'd be the oldest man to win a major. His record in the Masters is not particularly good, either, with five missed cuts and only one decent finish, a tie for 12th in 1995. Those Perry can't do anything about. What he brings? Talent, hard work, and a desire to win, repeatedly drilled into him by his 85-year-old father, Ken, who still helps run the course his son designed and built in Franklin, Ky., where the Perry family lives, plays, works, and goes to church, all with the same passion.

It's taken Perry a long time to be considered one of golf's top players - nine of his 13 wins have come after he turned 40 - but he's accustomed to fighting and clawing and diligently working toward a goal. Like the time he finally defeated his father at anything.

"I've got a will inside of me that my dad taught. He beat me so bad, any kind of game or sport, he beat me so bad, I cried all the time," Perry said. "I was 14. I beat him on the golf course, finally.

"You know how I did it? The ninth hole at our course was a par 3, and he's one up on me. He says, 'I've got you again.' I hit a 4-iron in the hole for a 1. He made par, and I finally beat him. And then it finally turned."

Perry's been close to a major once before, losing to Mark Brooks in a playoff at the 1996 PGA Championship in Louisville. Despite what Perry's done since, it's a result that still hurts.

Now he's positioned himself again, with steady play and few mistakes the first two days. Three of his five birdies in the second round were kick-ins, including a 3-footer at the last, when his approach shot almost went in for eagle. He has only two bogeys through 36 holes and has yet to three-putt.

"It's been an awesome, very relaxed, very comfortable two days," Perry said. "[Yesterday] was probably one of the greatest rounds I've ever played, to be honest. I just didn't have any nerves.

"Everybody looks at winning majors as very important, and I would agree," Perry added. "The Ryder Cup, that was the ultimate of anything I have ever done, what I experienced that week with my family. But Dad has always said, 'You need to win that green jacket.' "

Campbell may have something to say about that. The 34-year-old first-round leader was also spotless early in his second round, with four birdies through 11 holes pushing him to 11 under. Bogeys at 11, 12, and 17 wiped out his lead, but his closing birdie capped a 2-under 70 and puts him in the final group today. It's the same position he was in three years ago, when he held the outright 36-hole lead before finishing tied for third.

"It's nice that I've been in that position before," said Campbell. "There's still a long way to go, but it's definitely nice to not be on foreign ground."

Angel Cabrera (68) lurks one shot back at 8 under, with Todd Hamilton (70) alone in fourth at 6 under and Tim Clark (71) in fifth at 5 under. Sergio Garcia (67) and Phil Mickelson (68) got back into contention, sitting five and six shots back, respectively.

The day's biggest move belonged to Anthony Kim, whose 7-under 65 allowed him to pass nearly 70 players and also get within five strokes of the lead. Starting the second round tied for 75th, the 23-year-old Kim poured in a mind-numbing 11 birdies - Sandy Lyle had seven, the next-highest total - and sees only five players in front of him.

"If I keep this up, I like my chances," said Kim, trying to become the first player since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters in his debut. "The putter got hot, and my confidence kept getting a little bit bigger."

Tiger Woods is also confident, but wasn't in a mood to talk about it. Woods offset three birdies with three bogeys, good for a 72 and a 2-under total that placed him seven shots behind. Not long after his round, he retreated to the practice range.

Are you frustrated?

"Yeah."

Is seven strokes doable?

"Yeah."

Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com