Friday, January 11, 2002

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Kenny Perry shot a 5-under for a share of the lead after the first round yesterday in the Sony Open.

Perry starts fast
in Sony first round

The 41-year-old is hanging
around with several Tour
youngsters at the top of
the leaderboard

---

By Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.com

Most of the company Kenny Perry is keeping on the $4 million Sony Open leaderboard would be more comfortable talking with his kids.

At 41, Perry finds himself longer in the tooth than off the tee, but not short on opportunities to get PGA Tour wins of late. Last week, Perry led after the second and third rounds of the Mercedes Championships, only to hang on the lip in the fourth, falling a shot short of making the playoff with Sergio Garcia and David Toms.

Perry hung around at the 2001 Tour Championship in Houston long enough to just miss that playoff as well, but still managed his first victory in six years at the Buick Open to qualify for last week's winners-only event.

After yesterday's 5-under-par 65, he's tied for first with three-year tour veteran Chris Riley, just one shot ahead of Jerry Kelly, Jesper Parnevik and John Cook, who climbed up the leaderboard late with an eagle on 18. Several other of the Tour's young guns competing in the first full-field event of the 2002 season aren't far off the pace.

"My game is really coming around," Riley said. "I played really well at the end of last year, and hopefully I can carry it over to this year. I'm trying to make my game less results-oriented. You come into a new year wondering how you are going to do.

"I had a pretty good year last year, finished 45th on the money list. But the main thing is to try to win out here. For me, you never know. Golf is not like the NBA where you are guaranteed your $2 million per year and all that. You have to go out there and earn your money."

Cameron Beckman, Jonathan Byrd, Stephen Ames and Phil Tataurangi are tied for sixth, two shots back with 3-under 67s. Nearly half the field fired even-par 70 or better in the traditional tradewinds that blew through the Waialae Country Club course.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Chris Riley follows his drive from the 12th tee of the Waialae Country Club during first round of the Sony Open.

Perry, who battled the brutal Kona winds last week on Maui, said yesterday's trades were a gentle breeze by comparison. Still, he's shooting well enough lately to compete with anyone on tour.

"It gives you a lot of confidence knowing you can play with the best players in the world and your game is holding up," Perry said of playing well in the elite fields of Mercedes and The Tour Championship. "I didn't lose last week at Mercedes. Those guys shot great final rounds to beat me.

"That birdie on the 17th on Sunday was a beautiful putt, but it hung on the lip. It could just as easily have fallen in. I think the wind kept it out. It's a game of inches out here. But we need to win a few of those. It was nice to finally break through after six years. It's nice to start playing good, strong golf again."

Perry will need it to hold off several young competitors looking for their first wins overall.

Riley joined the tour in 1999 out of Nevada-Las Vegas. His first tournament as a pro was the Sony Open, one he had a chance to win, only to see Jeff Sluman birdie the last two holes to steal the victory. Riley tied for seventh.

Kelly has finished second twice in his career and, like Riley, is looking for his first tour victory. So are Ames, Tataurangi and Byrd, whose tour earnings is $22,530.

Beckman broke through with his first victory last year and finished tied for 18th at the Mercedes.

Cook's last win was at the 2001 Reno-Tahoe Open, an event Kelly placed second in.

"John Cook played great that day," said Kelly, who has had his fair share of winning opportunities. "He wasn't thinking of winning coming down the stretch. I had him by about three shots or so. It just happens out there sometimes. It just hasn't happened to me."

Several notables are within shouting distance of the leaders. Tied for 10th with 2-under 68s are defending Sony Open champion Brad Faxon, 1998 Sony Open winner John Huston, Mark O'Meara, Scott Hoch and 2001 PGA Championship winner Toms,who lost to Garcia last week in a Mercedes Championships playoff.

Jim Furyk, who won the 1996 Hawaiian Open and the 2001 Mercedes, is part of another group one shot back at 69. Included in that 1-under group are Sluman, Corey Pavin and Robert Allenby.

Garcia opened with a 1-over 71 and will need to shoot under par today in order to survive the cut.