HARRISON, N.Y. -- When he’s not playing golf, Brett Quigley likes to go surfing or ride his Harley Davidson near his south Florida home.

He might want to start practicing his two-hand backhand, too. After all, it was a lesson from a tennis pro that turned Quigley’s golf game around this year.

No, that’s not a misprint. Quigley met Billy Stern in Hilton Head through their mutual friend, Brad Faxon. The two talked quite a bit during the week of the Verizon Heritage and what the tennis pro said struck a chord with Quigley.

“It was just mental -- just talking about how you have to have focus on every shot and just totally forget shots and totally let it go,” Quigley said. “(It’s the) same thing in tennis. Those guys are ripping forehands, ripping backhands. They're not worried about the shot three hits ago. If they are, they're not going to be there.

“That's maybe a little easier in tennis because you don't have a lot of time to think about it, just looking and reacting. (In) golf, you've gotten minutes between each shot or a lot of time to think about it. I think I've done a better job of letting it go and being focused when it's time to go.”

Prior to their meeting, Quigley had missed the cut in five of his first nine starts. He went on to tie for fifth at Harbor Town that week, and he’s made eight straight cuts, including three top-10s.

Quigley finds himself in contention again this week at the Barclays Classic after Friday’s 66, which left him one stroke off the lead held by fellow New Englander, Billy Andrade. His confident play of late is a far cry from the man who was “gripping the steering wheel” earlier in the year.

“(It was like) I've been out here 10 years on Tour, it's time to do something,” Quigley said. “For me, when I try to do something, I've got no chance. Expectations get too high and I put way too much pressure on myself, and I just don't let it go.”

On Friday at Westchester Country Club, though, Quigley simply took his hands off the wheel and enjoyed the ride. He did most of his damage on the front nine, his second of the day, as he reeled off five straight birdies, starting at the third hole.

Quigley’s birdie putts during that stretch came from 3, 6, 5, 35 and 3 feet. But the real key to Friday’s round may have been the way he responded to that double bogey at the par-5 18th hole, where he had an adventure in two different bunkers.

“It (was) a pitiful 7, and I was pretty determined not to let it bother me,” said Quigley, who was 2 under at the time. “I think earlier this year it definitely would have bothered me.”

The confident Quigley got his week off to a positive start on Monday when he was medalist at the U.S. Open qualifying at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J. He may not have received the fanfare Michele Wie did, but he wouldn’t trade the results.

Quigley played the harder North Course in the morning, and he was tied with Wie at 68 after the first 18 holes. He threw down a sizzling 63 in the afternoon to win medalist honors by three strokes. He felt his concentration was better because it had been several years since he’d played either course, and there was no time for a practice round.

“(I) knew I had to play well,” said Quigley, who flew to Newark from Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday night after finishing his final round at the Memorial Tournament. His wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m. on Monday.

Brett Quigley made nine birdies on Friday. (Messerschmidt/WireImage)

“I knew it was going to be a tough day, and fortunately (I) kind of made some birdies. I think I made 14 birdies there, so in one day that's pretty nice. (I have) just been pretty easy on myself and pretty confident the last week.”

The momentum has carried over to the Barclays Classic. Even though he’s tired – this is Quigley’s sixth straight tournament – he says he’s having fun, and that’s when he plays his best golf. His first PGA TOUR victory on Sunday would make life even more enjoyable.

“It's funny, starting today, I figured I needed to shoot 5 under to get back in the mix,” said Quigley, who went out and produced that number on Friday. “Kind of a tough way to do it, but I shot 5 under.

“Yeah, I'm thinking about winning. It's the ultimate goal. I mean, whether it happens this week, next week or never, I don't know. I'm going to keep trying, though.”