From there, Percy caught fire, to say the least. Nine birdies later, he walked off the 18th green with a bogey-free 62.
"Very, very slow start and then made a birdie on the fifth hole, and then just rolled the back nine," Percy said. "It was about as good as I can hit it, I think."
Percy's 62 gave him a two-round total of 13-under 130, good enough for a 2-shot lead over the trio of Darron Stiles, Reid Edstrom, and Aaron Watkins. He finished with a flourish to surge into the lead, birdieing holes 14 thru 17 and finishing with a solid par on the long uphill par-4 18th.
Percy saved the best for almost last, in his personal opinion. On the par-3 17th, he hit his 5-iron approach to 10 feet and rolled in the birdie effort.
"On 17 I hit the best shot of the day," Percy said. "That's a tough green there and making two felt like I gained one for sure."
Percy attributed his stellar play to a bit of good fortune. Time and time again, he found that he had good yardages to the hole for his approach shots.
As a result, he kept from having to choose between clubs or hit three-quarter shots that involve more feel and guesswork.
"It was just one of those days where I seemed to have the perfect yardage all day," Percy said. "Every number was perfect. That's how you shoot 9-under."
Although Percy has a 2-shot lead after two rounds, it is not the same as having the 36-hole lead at a typical tournament. With a 3-course rotation, it is risky to judge the leaderboard at face value until all players have made it through all three courses. Tomorrow Percy plays Chanticleer, which has played the most difficult all week so far.
Percy is aware of this, and he knows that he must remain on his game tomorrow if he wants to maintain his lead.
"I've got to play the hard course tomorrow," Percy said. "There's a lot of water and out of bounds, so you've got to keep your head."
Percy begins his third round at Chanticleer at 8:55 a.m. Saturday, off the 10th tee.
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