Andy DevaneyCameron Percy will take a three-shot lead into the weekend of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open after a composed second-round 68 at The Gleneagles Hotel carried the Australian to nine under par. Jerry Kelly is his closest challenger on six under, with Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson and Markus Brier a further two shots behind.
There was nothing decorative about Percy’s progress around the King’s Course. The wind strengthened, the ground remained firm and every player on the leaderboard collected at least one bogey. Gleneagles had exchanged Thursday’s handshake for something closer to a search of the premises.
How Cameron Percy built his ISPS HANDA Senior Open lead
Percy recovered from bogeys at the fifth and eighth with a birdie at the ninth, before chipping in at the 13th and adding further gains at the 14th and 18th. His two-under-par round of 68 moved him to nine under, three clear of Kelly with 36 holes remaining.
The 52-year-old had begun the day with a one-shot advantage after an opening round in which, by his own assessment, the ball generally travelled where it had been instructed.
Friday demanded rather more improvisation.
Percy’s dropped shots at the fifth and eighth threatened to pull him back towards the chasing pack, but an approach to five feet at the ninth produced a timely birdie and a front-nine 35. It was not quite a flourish, though it stopped the afternoon from becoming a committee meeting.
The decisive moment arrived at the 13th. Percy played a deft, running chip that found the cup, then made an up-and-down birdie at the driveable par-four 14th.
A two-putt birdie at the par-five 18th completed a back nine of 33 and restored the lead he had carried into the round.
Percy relies on a familiar shot in difficult conditions
Percy attributed much of the difference between his first two rounds to the wind, which made club selection, trajectory and distance control considerably less predictable.
He said: “I mean, yesterday I hit it everywhere I was looking, so it was pretty easy. Today was way harder trying to judge how much the wind would hit stuff. I got it around okay. That was the difference, I think.”
Rather than attempting to manufacture a perfectly neutral swing under pressure, Percy has been leaning on a familiar right-to-left shape.
“I was trying to aim to the middle and swing it nicely and hit it straight and instead I need a stock shot. So I’m trying to hit a little draw. So I’m trying to swing one degree right and make it draw, which is fine.”
That method was not entirely immune to the gusts. A draw can become an enthusiastic hook when the wind begins offering assistance nobody requested.
“Today with the right-to-left wind, drew a bit too far. But I feel like I’m aiming just down the left, swing a little right and it should draw and that’s what I’m trying to do. All of a sudden I have the whole feel and instead of half the feel and make it perfect.”
Percy’s preference for a demanding course may also be helping. Some players thrive when the route is obvious and birdies are plentiful. Others prefer a round that requires their full attention and occasionally threatens to confiscate the ball.
“Obviously very happy. It’s such a hard golf course. You’ve got to concentrate on every single shot. There’s no easy holes or anything. You can lose your ball on every shot. That’s what I like. It keeps me tuned in, if that makes sense.”
The conditions were encapsulated by a short approach at the 12th, where even a wedge offered no promise of safety.
“It just so hard. I had a 70-yard wedge shot on 12 or something and I missed the green by miles, and the ball went 20 yards in the air from 70 yards, and it’s like, it’s really hard. You’re missing the green from 70 yards, golf is pretty hard.”
Jerry Kelly stays close with another 68
Kelly matched Percy’s 68 to reach six under and remain firmly involved.
The American birdied the second before dropping a shot at the seventh, but recovered immediately with a gain at the eighth. He added another birdie at the tenth and again responded quickly after a bogey at the 13th, taking advantage of the driveable par-four 14th.
His round was built less on peppering flagsticks than on controlling distance across the greens and leaving manageable second putts.
“I tell you, I had a good feel with my longer putts. I certainly didn’t hit it close. But some of the really, really good two-putts out there, using the slopes, and just trying to keep the ball in front of me, not do too much. It’s fun playing this type of golf. It’s difficult. I know we are expecting even more weather coming up.
“So this is only 36 holes, and this course can do anything to anybody. But I really enjoy it. I mean, it’s kind of like playing golf on the moon and not knowing what gravity is going to do to your ball, how far you’re going to hit it and where it’s going it land and hitting the craters and going all over the place.
It’s acceptance, and that’s normally not my game. But I brought it this week, and I hope I continue to bring it because you’re going to be wrong, and it’s going to bounce in places that – that was a good shot. Just go get it done the next time. I’m always learning.”
Kelly’s lunar comparison was vivid, but the practical point was straightforward: on hard ground in gusting wind, a sensible shot can receive an unreasonable bounce. Complaining to the turf has historically produced limited results.
“When I’m truly enjoying the challenge, I play much better. I always ground it out my entire career. But I’m learning to accept some things and enjoy some things.”
Els and Stenson remain within reach
Behind the leading pair, Open champions Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson share third place at four under with Austria’s Markus Brier.
They are five shots behind Percy, but the second round provided ample evidence that the King’s Course can remove strokes from a scorecard rather faster than most players can add them.
Frenchman Lionel Alexandre and American Matt Gogel sit at three under. They are one shot ahead of 2023 champion Alex Cejka, former Ryder Cup player Peter Baker, South Africa’s Darren Fichardt, Australian Michael Wright and Americans Taggart Ridings and Tom Penrice Jr.
Only 16 players completed the day under par, a useful indication of how sharply the examination had changed since the opening round.
Percy chases his first senior victory
Percy has yet to win at senior level since turning 50 in May 2024, although consistency has not been the problem. He has made all 81 cuts on the Champions Tour and recorded top-ten finishes in 2025 at this event, the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open.
He now has 36 holes in which to convert that reliability into a first victory.
A three-shot lead is useful rather than conclusive, particularly on a course where a 70-yard wedge can be made to look like an advanced philosophical problem. Percy’s advantage rests not only on the quality of his ball-striking, but on his apparent willingness to accept the occasional indignity and proceed to the next shot.
That temperament may be the most valuable club in the bag when the weekend begins.
