Kenny Perry played in his first PGA Tour event the same year Ty Tryon was born. He missed the cut in the 1984 tournament and didn't get his card until three years later. Perry keeps getting
better with ageBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comIt would be another four seasons before he won his first event -- the 1991 Memorial Tournament. But for all the steady success Perry enjoyed during his formative years as a pro, he has seen his career really thrive in the 21st century.
Since 2000, the Franklin, Ky., resident has made 63 of 73 cuts, fashioned 16 top-10 finishes -- including a victory at the 2001 Buick Open, his first since the Bob Hope in 1995 -- and earned $4.6 million in the process.
Had he not suffered a ho-hum final round at the 2002 Mercedes Championships, he wouldn't have finished one-shot behind eventual champion Sergio Garcia, who bested David Toms in a playoff.
Last year, he led after the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, went on to finish in a tie for second at the Phoenix Open and a tie for sixth at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He also finished tied for second to Nick Price at the MasterCard Colonial, a course much like the Waialae Country Club.
So what's the secret to his newfound success? Perry doesn't know for sure. He was tied for first with 2001 U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen after shooting an opening-round 64, including a 6-under 30 on the backside.
He managed a 65 to tie for the lead here last year, only to slip from view the final three days, prompting him to tell the media yesterday, "I did not stay in here long enough last year. Hopefully I can improve on that the next few days."
It's hard to imagine the 42-year-old graduate of Western Kentucky not being on or near the lead over the weekend -- especially as well as he plays the West Coast swing.
"I'm a Southern boy, so I don't really know why I play so well on the West Coast portion of the tour," Perry said. "And I play horrible in Florida, so you figure it out. But I'm very relaxed. My family life is great. And I'm doing things with my swing I haven't done before."
Perry is preparing for his 17th full year on tour. During that time, he has shaped most of his shots from right to left, daring to change only when necessary. But before coming to Hawaii, he stopped in Alabama to work on his game and the results could be seen early and often during yesterday's round.
"Normally, I have not played that well here in Hawaii," Perry said. "Only recently have I had any success here. This is a difficult golf course. I don't know why they can't build more courses like this one; where you are rewarded for your shot-making.
"You don't need to make a course 7,400 yards to make it tough. This is the way it should play by shaping shots off the tee or making the chipping difficult around the greens. This course is a lot like the Colonial (in Forth Worth, Texas).
"Still, I had one of the easiest rounds of golf I have ever played. I moved the ball from left to right, hit cut shots into the wind, that sort of thing. I can't really explain it, but the older I get, the better I play."
And that makes his wife's alma mater happy. Every year, Perry donates 5 percent of his winnings to David Lipscomb University to fund a pair of scholarships. Right now, his endowment is about $450,000. The scholarships are given on a need basis, many recipients coming from his hometown of Franklin.
"Pretty much everybody knows everybody," Perry said. "Some of the people we've given scholarships to have dropped out after one semester, others have graduated. We've never given a full ride ($20,000 for one year), but we've helped a lot of people."
Perry also borrowed $2.5 million to build a public golf course on 142 acres near his hometown. He designed it for handicappers between 12 and 30. With a cart, 18 holes will run you $28; walkers pay $12.
"You guys come to Franklin and I'll let you on for $20," Perry said, then smiled.
This century, he's had a lot to smile about.
Sony Open