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THE RYDER CUP MATCHES

September 15, 2004

Kenny Perry

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

JULIUS MASON: Kenny Perry playing in his first Ryder Cup Matches. Welcome to the media center. How about some thoughts about what happened today in the practice rounds and we'll go to Q&A.

KENNY PERRY: Amazed at the gallery today. A lot more, I guess, intensified, more supportive. Pretty energetic. It was electric out there a little bit. I was shocked at the amount of people that was out there pulling for us. I guess, I think it was David Toms and Rile and I, we were the only ones on the golf course at the time and I think that's probably the only reason why. The golf course is in great shape. You know, I played here in '96 in the Open and it hasn't changed much. They have slowed the greens down a little bit in my opinion, but all in all I think the golf course is going to be set up right.

JULIUS MASON: Thank you.

Q. You've talked about this being a career thing, you wanted to get here, now that you're here, just talk about the feelings and the emotions and what this week has been like so far?

KENNY PERRY: You know, I had such a great Presidents Cup experience last year, and I'm not trying to put the Presidents Cup with the Ryder Cup, I mean, it's totally different. But to me it's the same team that we had, very similar, there's only a couple of different guys from that team. We bonded, our camaraderie was awesome last year and we're having a lot of fun at night. I think that's what's been so fun about the week. All of the memories, all of the friendships you get, and for me personally, you know what, I can't answer that question until probably the opening ceremonies tomorrow night when I kind of really, it all sinks in that I've made this team. Maybe when I step you on that first tee if I play Friday morning or Friday afternoon or whenever my first time is to hit that first golf shot, it's really going to sink in and mean something to me. This has always been a goal of mine. I've been so close to making this team twice and got bumped out at the PGA Championship twice and finished 11th and 12th in points and to finally make it at age 44, you know, what, it was very special to me, very self-gratifying.

Q. Has anything happened on or off the course so far this week that makes you feel like a rookie in the Ryder Cup?

KENNY PERRY: Not really. I guess there's five rookies on the American team, but the veterans have been real good to us. They are kind of showing us the way around. I really had a great experience with Davis at the Presidents Cup. He really taught me a lot about match-play, a lot about foursomes. So, I learned a lot from those guys. So even though I may be a rookie, I've been a pro now for 23 years, so hopefully I can take some of that with me into the matches this weekend. I don't think I'm really going to actually be that petrified and that nervous. I think I'm going to be ready. I've really worked hard the two weeks prior to this week hitting balls. I went and saw David Leadbetter, he got my swing back in better shape. I really worked on some things and now the golf ball is going like I know it can go. That gives me a lot of confidence.

Q. I think it was the Memorial and Colonial that you won back-to-back last year and you were sinking iron shots three and four feet from the pin. Are you close to that? Is that one of those hot streaks that you think you can get on for two or three days?

KENNY PERRY: I think so. I've hit a lot of quality iron shots this week already. My iron game's been great and I've been driving the ball great. I lost my driver, the driver I used to win all of my golf tournaments last year broke on me, the crown of the driver broke at Westchester this year. I've been kind of struggling with drivers and finally I've got a new R 7 that I finally feel comfortable with. I drove it well at the Canadian Open and so hopefully it will keep doing what it's doing.

Q. You have Fred Funk playing in his first Ryder Cup, 48 years old, Jay Haas playing some of his golf at age 50, Kenny Perry, age 44, first Ryder Cup, do you make anything of that, with the gentlemen playing so well, so late so to speak?

KENNY PERRY: Well, I think a lot has to do with equipment, technology. I think the golf ball is going a long way now, the driver is hitting them a long ways. The guys are staying in better shape. There's a lot more, we are watching what they eat and they are working out. I guess there's a lot of motivation and driving till still to want to compete. I guess we don't have anything else we want to do. I think we want to still play golf.

So I think that's why you see the older fellows hanging in there.

Q. Along those same lines, at age 44 and being called a rookie, is it awkward? And then asking, maybe talking to a guy, Tiger who is 28, younger guys about advice this week?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, it is kind of awkward. I mean, you know, at my age, to be called a rookie just doesn't sound right. But it's been pretty neat talking to them about their experiences and trying to listen to what they have to say. But you really can't grasp -- you can say all you want to but until the guy feels it, experiences it, and can draw upon that, he can learn from that. Until I step out there Friday morning, whenever, it's hard for me to answer these questions.

Q. Not to harp on this age thing but the fact that there are a number of first-time Ryder Cuppers who are older, is the experience just the golf experience still an advantage over a younger, first-time Ryder Cupper in this competition versus just a regular PGA TOUR event?

KENNY PERRY: I think so. I think it's a big advantage. You have a guy, I have 18 years out here and Jay Haas probably as 23 or 24 years and Fred Funk has probably got 20 years out here. We've got experience, we've got knowledge. You can't put a price tag on that. You get a rookie coming in here, you've got Chris Riley, he's a rookie, he's young, it's his first time. Me and him are in the same boat. It's our first Ryder Cup, but I've got a lot more tournaments under my belt than he does. Doesn't mean he's going to play poorly. You know what, he's got nothing to lose and everything to gain this week. He could be the star this week. We're going to depend upon him. Hal's pointing his finger at every one of us. He says he's going to expect every one of us to play and when it's our turn to play he's going to call on us and expect to win. He's been a great captain. I've really enjoyed being around him this week. He's got a lot of fire and his only goal this week is to win. He's got an objective is -- he's got a game plan and he's sticking to it. You know what he said 12 guys are going to go out there, we're going to be one team this week, it's not going to be a bunch of egos out there. He expects us to be pros when we are confronted with any situation out there. I may have to sit till Sunday. I don't know what he's got on his mind. But you know what, I'm going to enjoy this week and it's a lot of great memories already and when it's my time to play I'm going to be ready.

Q. You talked about your experience, 23 years as a pro, etc. And of course you've played in a lot of majors, so maybe you could assess for us how this golf course lays out for the two teams, if it favors one team over another perhaps?

KENNY PERRY: Well, you know what, I don't think it favors either team to tell you the truth. Because it may favor us a little bit because we've got a great putting team this week and this week, the greens are very severe, very undulating. I'm surprised at how the downhill putts are not getting to the hole so they are not going to speed the greens up and they are going to try to keep them very puttable and very playable. We've got a great putting team. I think that's going to be a big advantage for us this week because you've got huge undulations with eight, ten, 12 feet of break. You have to have a lot of imagination out there. But the rough, you know, it's very playable. Every guy out there can get it on the green out of the rough. You may catch a lie here or there that you can't do much with but it's very fair.

The fairways aren't that narrow so you don't feel claustrophobic, you don't feel like it's very confined out there. You feel like you can relax and go and hit the fairway. I don't know distance-wise between the two teams if one is more length-wise, but I know our team is strong in the short game area and I think that's where we will excel.

Q. You spent a lot of time after your round on 18 signing autographs, talking to fans, can you describe the crowds through the first two days? They are they are just practice rounds?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, it's pretty a maze to go have 40,000 people out there just in a practice round and that excited and want to go get that close to you, wanting to touch to you, to get you to autograph something.

You know, normally in a normal Tour event, people, they are probably not watching me, they are out watching Tiger or Phil or somebody out there play their practice round. So it's been pretty exciting for me to have that much attention paid to me this week.

Q. You talked about the camaraderie that you enjoyed during the Presidents Cup. Many of the European players that we've been talking to have spoken about this kind of camaraderie that they share week-in and week-out on their tour while the Americans don't have that, they are more individualistic and they go their own way, and while the U.S. Team looks better on paper they may have an advantage because they have that kind of camaraderie on a day-to-day basis, week-to-week basis, your thoughts on that? Are they misreading the American players?

KENNY PERRY: They are. I think we have great team chemistry. You know what, when they say we don't have camaraderie, I don't know what they mean. On the Tour a lot of the guys hang out. Europeans don't have families? I don't know. Maybe they are all single, I don't know. But most of us on our tour, we're families with kids and we have a lot of responsibility and we have our families with us. We do go out to dinner we do hang out, we do play practice rounds together and we do have a lot of fun in the locker room. I don't know what they are exactly meaning that their team has more camaraderie. I don't understand that. I never have understood that. I always thought or team, any time a team competition I've ever been in and been involved with, we've been a very close-knit group. We've done everything together and we've had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. Not one instance have I ever seen anybody upset with another player, competitor in our group. I've just never seen that. So I think we are just -- I think our team has gelled, I really do. I think we are a great team and I think we're going to be ready this week.

JULIUS MASON: Kenny Perry, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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