With his game in perspective and a dear friend on the mend, John Maginnes is playing some of the best golf of his life.

After taking the tournament lead with a 7-under-par 64 Friday in the second round of the Greater Milwaukee Open, Maginnes headed down the freeway to see his longtime caddie. Garland Dempsey is recovering in a Chicago area hospital after collapsing during last week's Western Open.

Maginnes holds a one-stroke lead over Jerry Kelly and Carlos Franco, but is more concerned about the man who first began carrying his bag in 1992 on the Nike Tour.

"Golf is where I went when my father died," he said. ``It's where my world is ... (and) it's where Gar wants me to be right now."

Maginnes briefly considered skipping the GMO before doctors assured him Dempsey is no longer in life-threatening danger. It still isn't clear what caused the 51-year-old caddie's heart to stop on the 15th hole during the third round last Saturday.

Dempsey was in stable condition Wednesday, and he chatted with Maginnes before Friday's round. Maginnes finished sixth last week and has played two strong rounds in Milwaukee, but is reluctant to connect his play to Dempsey's troubles.

"After the kind of week I've had, you could say it takes your mind off other things like your game," Maginnes said.

Patrick Fitzgerald, an ABC spotter and former caddie, took up Maginnes' bag for the Western Open and is working for him this week.

Maginnes adjusted well to the unpredictable wind which dogged golfers Friday at Brown Deer Park. After a night of rain that left the course in less-than-ideal shape, the day began under a solid cloud cover and ended in bright sunshine.

"The strong wind is a nice practice for me," said Franco, who compared the course conditions to those golfers will face next week in Scotland for the British Open.

Franco, who won at New Orleans in May and briefly held the lead in the Masters, said he prefers playing in a tournament to practicing as a way to prepare for next week's major. He missed the past two tour events to be at home in Paraguay with his wife, children and 200 of his closest friends.

"Bar-be-CUE! Every day a party," Franco said. ``But if you feel the pressure in a tournament, it's better for the next tournament. I came here to prepare for my biggest event (the British Open)."

While Maginnes may be the sentimental favorite, the hometown favorite is undoubtedly Kelly, a Madison, Wis., native who lost a playoff to Loren Roberts in the 1996 GMO. Large galleries follow Kelly and fellow Wisconsinite Steve Stricker around the course.

"I love it when all these people get behind me," Kelly said. ``I get goose bumps five or six times a round. That doesn't happen to me at any other tournament. It's nice to (play) with a smile on your face."

Rory Sabbatini birdied three of the final four holes to finish a stroke behind Franco and Kelly, while Joey Sindelar and Chris Perry had two-day totals of 133, one shot back of Sabbatini. Mark Calcavecchia, who was in second at the start of the day, shot a wobbly 70 and fell to seventh.

Calcavecchia's struggles were nothing compared to those of the first-round leader, Ben Bates. After leading a tournament for the first time in his two-year PGA career, the career journeyman birdied the first two holes Friday before a string of bogeys pushed him back to a 2-over-par 73 for the day.