When last seen by the golfing world, Chris Perry was waving a white towel of surrender on the final hole of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, then crawling on his hands and knees to the 18th green.

What a difference a week makes.

Perry was the one in command today with a 5-under 66, tying Jeff Maggert for the lead midway through the Buick Classic at the Westchester Country Club. They were at 6-under 136.

Perry said he was hardly being disrespectful last Sunday in the Open, feeling he played pretty well despite finishing 17 over par in a tie for 42nd. He just thought it was funny to play so hard and shoot such a high score.

His smile was wider Friday after mastering one of his favorite courses on the PGA Tour.

"I feel I can win anywhere, but especially on this course," he said. "It is just a matter of hitting the right shot at the right time."

Perry, 37, finally broke through as PGA winner last year in the B.C. Open in his 14th year on tour and 377th career start. He said fitness training is a major reason he's been playing so well.

"Pretty much everything, I mean aerobics, the weights," he said. "My November-December thing is six days a week, a couple hours a day."

That and maintenance work during tour weeks in the fitness trailer at tournament sites has paid dividends, Perry said. He said he is not as prone to making bogeys at the end of rounds on Saturdays and Sundays, and he scores better toward the end of grueling four- and five-week stretches when he plays tour events every week.

"I felt if I can get my legs and just overall strength a little bit better, the tour wouldn't beat me up as much," he said.

Perry's round Friday went right from the beginning, when he saved par from the sand on the par-3 first and made a 7-footer on the par-4 second to avoid a three-putt.

He made birdie from seven feet on No. 7 and hit a 4-wood second shot at No. 9 to 30 feet and made the putt for an eagle. He sandwiched birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 around a bogey on 15.

Putting well was no surprise to Perry, who is 12th on tour this year in fewest average putts per round.

"I have always been a great putter," he said. "I have always had a good touch and when I get the speed of the green and when they are fairly smooth I am fairly confident that I am going to be around the hole."

Perry and Maggert, who also shot 66 Friday, were one stroke better than first-round leader Stephen Ames. Ames survived a bogey-bogey-double bogey start to shoot a 1-over 72. Duffy Waldorf shot 67 Friday and was tied with Ames at 137.

Not far back were some of the biggest names in golf.

Fred Couples, who eagled the last hole he played Friday, the par-5 ninth, and Lee Janzen were among those at 4-under 138. Ernie Els, the 1996 and 1997 Buick Classic champion, was at 139 after a scrambling 70.

Maggert finished second to Els here in 1996 and 1997 and, coupled with an eighth-place tie in 1995 and a fifth-place tie last year, has made $342,000 in the Buick Classic alone over the last four years.

"I'd like to win here before I'm done with my tour days," Maggert said. "Who knows? Maybe this is the year."

Maggert at one point Friday was 1-over for the tournament. Maggert, who played the back nine first, got nack to even with a birdie at No. 18. Birdies at Nos. 1, when he holed a 20-foot sand shot, 2 and 3 followed.

"Four birdies in a row there and all of a sudden I'm at the top of the leaderboard," said Maggert, who admitted getting aggravated with his play earlier in the day.

He also birdied Nos. 5, 7 and 9 but made bogey out of a trap on No. 8.

Ames, playing just his third PGA event of the year because of problems maintaining his visa to stay in the United States, made an impressive recovery after a potentially disastrous start. At one point he fell to 1-under, but battled back with four birdies and six pars over his last 10 holes.

J.L. Lewis had the low round Friday, a 65, and was at 140.

Divots: Perry is the son of 17-year major league pitcher Jim Perry and nephew of Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. ... Leading tour money-winner David Duval couldn't get untracked en route to a 4-over 75 and just made the cut at 3-over 145. ... Ted Purdy was disqualified after informing tournament officials Friday that he incorrectly signed for an 8-over 79 after Thursday's opening round. He actually shot 80. ... Jonathan Kaye was disqualified for playing the wrong ball Friday midway through a round in which he was 3-under for the day and 2-over for the tournament. ... Joel Kribel, a four-time All-America at Stanford, was in contention to make the cut until a triple-bogey 7 on No. 8, his 17th hole of the day. He finished with a 72 for 147.

AP