LA QUINTA, Calif. - Kenny Perry is in his prime two decades after making his PGA Tour debut.
Perry shot 6-under-par 66 Thursday for 14 under and the second-round lead in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Phil Mickelson, playing his first tournament of the year after a disappointing 2003, was one back after 63. Mickelson was the 2002 Hope champion, and Perry took the title in 1995.
Kirk Triplett (65) and Skip Kendall (68) were tied with Mickelson.
Perry, 43, is coming off his best year with three victories, 11 finishes in the top 10 and $4.4-million to rank sixth on the earnings list.
"I've just gotten better," said Perry, who has won seven times in his career. "I just understand how to play. I understand my golf game. I'm not as rattled as I used to be, and I'm not as angry on the golf course as I used to be.
"I used to always get frustrated trying to make things happen. I'm just letting it happen instead of trying to force it now."
Patience helped him move into the Hope lead on a day when he was not hitting the ball straight.
Beginning the second round on the back nine at PGA West, he was par for the day when he curled in a tricky 8-foot birdie on No. 18. That started him rolling.
Making a series of putts from 6-8 feet after the turn, he had five birdies and no bogeys on the front nine.
Mickelson, who has not won in 18 months, was content with his short game, which deserted him last year.
"I'm very pleased with the progress of the first two rounds of the year," he said. "I feel like I've driven the ball very well, and I feel much more confident from 134 yards in, which last year was a point of dissatisfaction."
EUROPEAN PGA: Anders Hansen shot 7-under 65 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and shared the first-round lead of the Dunhill Championship with Alan McLean and Marcel Siem. Hansen, troubled by an injured wrist, had seven birdies in a bogey-free round.
BRITISH OPEN: The major tournament is returning to Carnoustie in 2007. The Open was last played on the Scottish links course in 1999.
