MCI CLASSIC

April 17, 1999

Chris Perry

CHRIS PERRY: Harbour Town has always been one of my favorites, probably in my top five golf courses. I was telling a couple interview guys there when I was in high school growing up in Minnesota, we used to come to Hilton Head for our spring break, so we would play golf. I just played just about every course there is on the island here. I remember -- so that was the late '70s, graduated in 1980 and we used to come down. I always said to my sisters, always had to sacrifice their spring break so we could go play golf. I was telling -- one of the first tournaments I came to was this one. I remember walking -- my dad took me out here, we walked in behind the first green, there was Tom Kite and Johnny Miller. I just thought that was the coolest thing that I actually got to see those guys. So I have always had a fondness for Harbour Town. I love the golf course. It is a shot-maker's course. It is really tight. You've got to think your way around. It is not just a take-the-driver-out-and-beat-it. You have got to think your way around. And with small greens, somewhere along the way you are going to have to chip and maneuver different kind of shots around the greens and that kind of suits my game. Today just -- I have been playing really well the whole year. Even though my putting stats say I am 18th or something, I thought I was putting much better. I have had some good tournaments, finished second at the Sony and fourth in San Diego. Last year I won. So I have really been playing pretty well for the last couple of years. Just feel comfortable with my golf swing. All it is tomorrow is really probably -- is pretty much nerves. I have been out here in -- this is my 14th here. So I am looking forward to tomorrow. It will be a new challenge. That is the only way you really learn in this game, is by having a new challenge. And tomorrow will be a challenge, because there are so many guys will have the opportunity to win. This is a great golf course. You saw early in the day there were some 7-unders and 6-unders shot. I don't know what the weather forecast is; probably a little lighter wind. So I am sure there will be some good scores tomorrow. I will continue to play the same way I have been. Hopefully hit a lot of fairways and attack the pins when I can.

CHRIS PERRY: Most nervous I have ever been was probably when I played a practice round with Arnold Palmer back in 1982, U.S. Open practice round. Probably at The Masters I think the first time as an amateur in 1984. In fact, that is kind of a unique story. I was -- probably had the longest streak between starts, 1984 I played The Masters; then I won last year. So this is -- my first time back in 15 years was last week, and I just had a very enjoyable week, even though I made the cut. But I didn't finish all that well. I really had a nice time playing there last week, really a treat to play there.

CHRIS PERRY: I shot 69 that day.

CHRIS PERRY: Well, I mean, I had met Arnie. I had never played with him, but I had met him when my dad was with the Minnesota Twins. He used to come out to Tinkerfield in Orlando where the twins trained. I met him a long, long time ago there.

CHRIS PERRY: Everybody gets nervous. I don't mean that I am going to be -- just a new challenge. I am looking forward to playing tomorrow. I believe I am going to be paired with John Huston. He and I have played -- John is a real fast player, great putter, fairly aggressive. So he and I will move along just fine. What is nice about being last is you kind of have a feel for what is going on out there, I think. I will just do the best I can. If tomorrow I play well, I have a chance to win. If not, just go on to Greensboro next week. I mean, I am much more relaxed on the golf course and with myself and my golf game than I was four, five years ago. My body is really strong. I have worked out since 1992. And 1993 I started a pretty hard workout program. I just feel I am really pretty strong and I can get through -- my legs are pretty stable and that is what is -- every once in a while my legs get a little wishy-washy underneath me. Now I feel I am strong enough that I can fight off a bad swing or something like. That I have always had a good short game and good putter, so, that is the only reason I am really leading, I think now, is I have made quite a few putts this week.

CHRIS PERRY: At one time I saw he was 12-under -- I don't even look at the lead boards, I really don't. I play my own game, and where I finish is where I finish. Sure, tomorrow with four, five, nine holes to go, I will take a glance to see because, you know, even though I am leading, the guys really aren't gunning at me, they are just playing the golf course; maybe they will have a score in mind, who knows. You got to play one shot at a time. My only concern is get a good meal tonight; good warm-up tomorrow morning, hopefully hit a good shot on No. 1 and just get in a good rhythm which I have had for quite a while now.

CHRIS PERRY: Yeah, second part of your question, I played baseball through ninth grade, but in Minnesota golf and baseball were in the spring, so I had to choose one or the other. I had a tremendous childhood of watching my father and my uncle travelling around the country so I got to see a lot that a lot of kids didn't see in professional athletes both good and bad. My dad was a real hard worker, as was my uncle. So I take a lot of my dad's work ethic. He used to go to spring training a week before everybody else to get his legs in shape and he threw in the off-season. I think that kind of instilled in me a lot of his hard work; not that hard work is always going to get you there, but you are going to prepare yourself as best you can.

CHRIS PERRY: I don't really -- a few years ago I remember having a few chats with my dad about, you know, a pitching situation and, you know, as the game was -- whether -- it was pretty much the same as is in golf kind of one pitch at a time. Your caddie is kind of like the catcher, so to speak, you guys got to kind of be on the same page. My caddie has been with me five years so he kind of knows what club or what shot I am going to hit before I even step up to the tee or get ready to hit a shot.

CHRIS PERRY: Yeah, I think he just moved though. My dad was up -- in fact, my parents just got here today; went to see my two grandmothers up in North Carolina. I think they had lunch or dinner last week.

CHRIS PERRY: Yeah, he was in Gaffney, but he actually lives in Kittyhawk, but I think he just sold his home.

CHRIS PERRY: Oh, yeah, this is what you want, to be in the lead. Hopefully I will be here tomorrow; if not, it is okay. I mean, I can live with that. I mean, it is not life or death. It is just go out there and perform like you know you can and try to relax and have fun with it. It is a lot of fun to hear people yelling: Go Buckeye and this and that. A lot of Buckeye fans with a great football program and the way the basketball team played this year, I mean, it has been a lot of fun and they know I am from Ohio State and I am a big backer of all the teams there but especially the football.

CHRIS PERRY: All the time. We did a thing inside the PGA TOUR, I believe it was last year at the Nelson. Because so many people get it mixed up. They get it right, but they get it mixed up. Craig gets more of me than I do of him. I try to tell them, no, he is from Australia and Kenny is from Kentucky and we are not brothers. They are the ones with all the money. We get a lot of that.

CHRIS PERRY: Well, I mean, I came right out of college - I qualified 13th in the Q-School; had a great amateur career and it did take me a little bit longer even though I kept my card and had a couple of good finishes, I didn't progress like I thought I would. Then I tried to do some things that really weren't -- everybody has their style of play. I tried to maybe play -- I don't know if it was more right-to-left or I tried to do too much. Then when your confidence goes, your game kind of goes; you don't really know which way the ball is going. Everybody kind of goes through that if you play this game long enough. So really when I didn't qualify for the Tour, I believe it was '92 school, I said, okay, that is it, I have got three months to get myself, four months, actually, to get myself in really, really good shape, which I did. I kind of did it on my own. Then from 94 'til now, I have had a trainer help me in the off-season - is pretty much what I do six days a week, two and a half, three hours a day.

CHRIS PERRY: To hold the lead, since I haven't played with the lead all that much, I really don't know the answer to that question. I will not approach it any different whether I was leading or, you know, pretty far back. I will pretty much play the same way. As I said, I am not a leader board watcher so I pretty much will stick to how I play the golf course as it comes where I get behind or have to take a few more chances, then I will do that. Because the bottomline is -- I mean, I am out here to win just like everybody else. If it comes to where I have to take a few more chances, then I will do that. Otherwise I will just play fairly a conservative aggressive type strategy.

CHRIS PERRY: You definitely have to know where you stand. I am just saying up to a point in the golf tournament where, you know, with nine holes to go and whatever, I really -- because that just gets me not thinking about what I am doing. Oh, so and so is 4-under after 5 or somebody is 7-under after 10, you know, well, I have got to get going, I am 1-over. You just start thinking too much. Just get in my own world, I guess, is the way to put it, just go and play. Whether I play with Payne or John, I mean, I have been out here long enough; we all know one another. Fred Funk played well today; just didn't make any putts. Freddie and I we always shoot in the 60s, it seems like when we play together, so that was a nice pairing for me today. Looking forward to the challenge. It will be a lot of fun.