GREATER HARTFORD OPEN

July 23, 2003

Kenny Perry

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Kenny, thanks for joining us. 2 wins in your last top events, can you keep it going?

KENNY PERRY: We will see if I can get over this jet lag a little bit. I have been waking up 2:30 the past 2 mornings. I haven't had a lot of sleep. I am messed up right now. To come from extremely dry conditions to extremely wet, it will be a challenging week.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Talk about your week last week, you contended right there most of the week, you only played one time at The Open back in '91.

KENNY PERRY: I had a great chance to win last week. I'm actually thinking I am going to win the golf tournament to tell you the truth. I was only a couple back going into Sunday and it was very important for me to play the first 7 holes well because that's the golf tournament. Those are holes that you can make birdies on. And I think the first hole is the hardest hole in the golf course. And I never did play it very well. I started with a bogey which was okay, but I birdied the 2nd hole to get back to even. But the fourth and the 7th hole were 2 key holes, 2 par-5's. And I hit a driver and a 5-iron to the left of four, and I didn't get up and down.

On 7, I hit a driver, and I had 125 yards for my second shot on the par 5 with a pitching wedge. I hit it 15 feet and I 3-putted. And that really hurt my spirits a little bit after I made par there. I ended up parring the rest of the holes out to shoot 2-over. I bogeyed 8. I was 1-over at the time, bogeyed 8 to go 2 -over and I parred in from nine in. It was a great experience. I'm glad I went.

I'm just sorry I missed those other ones now that I was exempt for. I should have went. It was just great, you know. I was on a roll, things are going good. I had a lot of confidence. I felt like I was going to do well, and I did, I played great.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: The last question about The Open, how fun is it to play in a tournament like that where anybody in the top-10 can win it according to the back nine realistically?

KENNY PERRY: Well anybody -- they call it The Open's open which is true, anybody can win that golf tournament. I never seen so many styles of golf being played. I played with Marco Ruiz, the third round, he hit every ball waist-high, driver, 3-wood. It didn't matter, downwind, upwind, it didn't matter. And if he played that kind of style of golf over here he couldn't compete. And you are just kind of bounding it. You are watching the ball hit the slopes. It is anybody's contest. Anybody can win. It's just a matter of making a few putts at the right time. It's pretty interesting golf. I hit a 9-iron from 200 yards away on a couple of holes. I hit a 5-iron from 105 yards a couple of times. So it's quite challenging. You got to have a lot of imagination. And you got to accept you are going to get bad breaks. That's going to happen to you. Everybody is going to get them. You will get some quirky bounces here and there that will put you in some bad spots. Then you got to take advantage of the good shots. That's what I was able to do. I was able to make putts, certain putts at the right time. Make a lot of birdies, and a lot of crucial par saves. I just didn't get it done on Sunday. I did pretty well the first three days.

Q. Do you think this is the best you played in your entire career the last couple of months?

KENNY PERRY: I had some stretches where I have had 3 tournament stretches where I lead like in -- I want to say '96. It was earlier than that, it was probably '94, '95 I lead 3 events in a row and I won.

And then another stretch, the beginning of last year I had the Mercedes lead, top-10ed it at the hole. I had the lead at Phoenix with 4 to play and DiMarco beat me. Then I top-10ed it again. So I have had some good runs, but this run has been special because I put 3 wins in there.

Q. Kenny, what's been the biggest difference in your game? I notice on the stats, different ways, but your total driving?

KENNY PERRY: Well, I always been top-10 in total driving. I'm just first right now. In my 17 years I have always been top-10 in that category. That's always been the best club in my bag. That sets up the whole golf course. If you are driving it well it sure takes a lot of pressure off your iron game, and your chipper and putter because you are usually in the fairway.

So I have been very comfortable with that club this year and hitting it very straight. So it's been a big key in my success.

Q. What about your confidence, obviously, you know?

KENNY PERRY: I always knew I could win. I felt very comfortable about my golf game. It's just why now all of a sudden, I don't know. Why after 17 straight years out here, why am I playing so great all of a sudden? That I don't know why. Maybe it's just my time. I thought it was my time really. I thought I deserved more. Until here I haven't been able to make things happening, but now it's happening.

Just had a lot of perseverance, press on, hanging in there and it's finally starting to pay off.

Q. Is it a matter now of making some putts over anything else?

KENNY PERRY: Well, I putted great this year. I think that's been another key to why I played so well. I've driven the ball beautifully and I've putted beautifully. It's been a combination of both, why wins are starting to come in there.

I putted very poorly Sunday at The Open which hurt my feelings a little bit. I putted great the first three days and why on Sunday, I think I may have put a little too much pressure on myself on Sunday. I wanted to win too much, instead of relaxing and letting the win come to me like I did at the Memorial, Colonial and Milwaukee.

I was just kind of sitting back and just playing a shot at a time and I wasn't really thinking about too much and I may have gotten ahead of myself at the British Open a little bit thinking too much about winning.

Q. You have had some success on this course in the past, can you talk about it?

KENNY PERRY: Another golf course you got to drive the ball great here. It's a long golf course. The back nine is crucial because there is a lot of water holes. 15 is a hole you can drive. But you can also make six on that little short hole. 17 is a tough finishing hole and so is 18. A lot of great holes here. It's the kind of golf course you are not going to get away with hitting poor shots. You got to execute. I've always been a pretty good ball striker and any time you go to a golf course where 12 to 15, 16 under wins, I feel very comfortable at. I think I have an advantage in those kind of tournaments.

Q. Have you done anything to get your body back on schedule here?

KENNY PERRY: Well, no, I haven't. I don't know what to do to tell you the truth. I have not traveled enough to figure this deal out, why I am waking up so early and I am having trouble sleeping right now. Hopefully I will get tired enough tonight. I got a real early time tomorrow, I got a 7:27 so it shouldn't be no problem for me being ready for that time. Hopefully I will be exhausted enough to get some sleep and peaceful rest. Right now it's kind of tough.

Q. Have you played this tired before?

KENNY PERRY: Not really. Usually I sleep great. I don't have any trouble sleeping ever. And for being on London time now it's kind of got me messed up a little bit. I will get back, it will be all right.

Q. Kenny, along those lines you understand and appreciate that Ben Curtis did want to take this week off after what he went through?

KENNY PERRY: Oh, yes, that's a life altering experience for him. I mean to never win a TOUR event and your first one be a British Open and all of a sudden have the media attention, and the whole world looking upon you, it would have been difficult for him to come here, and be prepared mentally to play. Physically he would have been wore out. I'm tired. I know he will be tired. I hated to see him withdraw. I read in the paper Ian Baker Finch, when he won the British, he came here and played and made the cut which is pretty impressive.

So it's always tough after you win a tournament to get ready the next week. That's why I love my win at the Memorial. I took a win from Colonial, instead of just going through the motions, I got fired up and was able to win another golf tournament. That meant a lot to me. Different guys do it different ways. After wins, some guys want to ride it out and some guys wants to take time off.

For him, being a first time winner, he probably did the right thing.

Q. When are you going to take some time off?

KENNY PERRY: I'm going to take 5 weeks off after NEC. I'm going to play the Buick next week, then the PGA and NEC, then I'm going to take 5 straight weeks off, that's when I go coach the hospital golf team. My son is a senior this year. I coached it for the past 3 years. That's my time. It's always been my down time after the PGA and then I will get back at it. I'm going to have a busy fall.

Q. Kenny, what's the name of the high school?

KENNY PERRY: Franklin Simpson.

Q. What are your thoughts on Suzy Whaley playing here this week?

KENNY PERRY: I think it's great. I won Annika's tournament. Maybe it will bring luck to me over here in this tournament. I was all for it. No, I think it's great. The press at Colonial was unbelievable. I mean they gave like 600 arm bands out that week. It was quite a frenzy. It was unbelievable, it was pretty neat. So I'm anxious to see how she plays. All of us are. I hope she does well. I hate to see her get out and struggle. She is at a disadvantage this week with all of the rain. I hate seeing it rain because the golf course will play really long. But I read a little about her in the paper. She played a round with Peter Jacobsen, that has helped her. He is a great guy. He gave her some great tips for the week, and I think she will do okay.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Kenny Perry, thank you.

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