BUICK OPEN

August 12, 2001

Kenny Perry

KENNY PERRY: Well, guys, it was just time, I think. I was playing good enough golf. I really felt like you know, I had four Top-10s coming in here; 11th last week at The INTERNATIONAL and I really felt like my game was in order to compete. You don't think you are going to go out there and shoot a pair of 29s and shoot 64 back-to-back, you just don't think stuff like that is going to happen. Mentally I was ready to play. Was able to go out there and put some good rounds together and I tell what, the round today was a better round than my other 3. My other 3 were easy; didn't have to think a lot putts were going in, shots were going if I was hitting it close. Where today I struggled and I grinded and nothing was easy for me. I couldn't seem to quite get it in the fairway. I had a shot today that I have never had to hit before, 6th hole I hit a drive down the left side, it plugged in the fairway, just in the short cut of rough, hit on the backside of the ball, there was so much mud on it I couldn't see any ball at all. I have never hit a ball with that much mud on it. When I hit it the ball, looked like a frisbee, just took off going right, left, right, left, then it darted to the left and it flew so far it was like a knuckle ball. It went way back there next to that sign, leaderboard, and I hit a tremendous pitch shot and I felt like the putt, you know, you don't think you are going to make these kinds of putts; I felt like that hole owed me that putt. I hit a great putt, knocked it right in. That was probably -- that was a good momentum swing for me to keep me going, keep my round going. I only made 3 birdies today. I didn't make a bogey. I am really proud of that, not making a bogey today. But just -- I just fought and fought and fought. I was really proud of how my body settled down in the last four holes. I was very comfortable with what I was doing out there. I slowed my swing down. I felt like I was getting too fast and in a hurry, and on the 15th -- on the 14th tee I drove it to the green, hit it about 30 feet from the hole, and that was a terrific drive and gave me a lot of confidence and I end up playing 15, 16, 17, 18 really well, really solid to finish the tournament off. It was --all and all it was, you know, to not win in six years and finally win one, you don't -- I didn't think I was actually ever going to win again, tell you the truth. It really made me realize how special my three wins were because it is so hard to win out here on Tour. I kept thinking, man, how did I do that. What was -- what am I missing here. Made a few putts, I think that was the difference in my week. I actually made some good putts this week.

KENNY PERRY: I didn't sleep at all last night. I know I will sleep good tonight. I tossed and turned thinking about it, thinking about it. I was trying to figure out how I was going to play the course, I could not relax. And most people think a 5-shot lead, we will just go out there. When I showed up Billy Mayfair done shot 61. I am thinking, oh, my goodness, I am going to have to shoot a good low round today to win. I did. But you know, that was unbelievable when I saw Billy shot 27 on the back nine, that kind of put the fear, that put fear in me. I was like, oh, boy, here we go. But anyway it was a good -- it was all right.

KENNY PERRY: Yeah.

KENNY PERRY: I knew if I made a mistake I had a cushion to cover my mistake. And thank goodness I didn't make any mistakes. I didn't get in that emotional roller-coaster of: Oh, no, I have done made a bogey and start pressing. I never had to press today. I just stayed on an even keel just kept going, just kept making pars, and I kept making them come after me. I knew that stretch from 12, 13, 14, you know, there are some birdie holes there to make birdies. I did birdie one of them. But I missed the other two up. I missed a gimme on that 12th hole. Had a beautiful little pitch in there probably two and a half, three feet from the hole and missed it. But anyway I didn't make any mistakes, didn't make any bogeys, they had to make birdies to catch me.

KENNY PERRY: Only time I looked at it was on 17th green, I saw I had a two-stroke lead and I had a 15-- 20-footer up the hill there for par-- I mean for birdie. I knew all I had to do was 2-putt, par the last hole or bogey the last hole and I could win the golf tournament.

KENNY PERRY: Well, he just kept saying -- he said if it's meant for us to win, we are going to win. He said don't press, he said just relax, go out there and have some fun. I couldn't -- I was all you know, I was in that competitive mode, you know, I couldn't relax. And on 16 I hit this unbelievable 2-iron, probably the best shot I hit all week. I had 256 to the hole, I carried it 240, onto the green, probably hit it 20 feet from the hole for eagle. And I just missed my eagle putt. And I am like -- and he is like hitting me on the shoulder, he said, wake up, you just made a great birdie, let's go, let's go get the last two holes. It kind of woke me up a little bit. I said all right, we have got to go play the last two holes.

KENNY PERRY: Oh, yeah, I thought I was mathematically I hadn't even looked at the Ryder Cup, I am so far behind in points. I had -- I have just now started to make a move where was I a year and a half ago when it started? No, I was strictly -- I hadn't won in six years. This was very key for me to win this week. Especially having a 5-stroke lead coming into today's round.

KENNY PERRY: I agree. Well, the Memorial in 1991 that was my sweetest win because it was my first win and it made me believe in myself to know I was good enough to win. I won on Jack's golf course. And then I won Boston, Hope and things-- I was really playing some really strong golf. Then it kind of left me. And it has been six years time -- where did the time go. I can't believe it has been six years since I have won. I don't know where it went. Now to finally win again is really sweet. I mean, it's just been a long time. I didn't think I'd ever win again because I didn't know what the formula was. What am I doing wrong. Why can't I win. And it just worked out. I don't know why, what -- did I do anything different this week to where I have not been doing well in the past? It just happened.

KENNY PERRY: Curtis probably doesn't want me, I played with him earlier in the year, I think I shot about an 80 with him. (Laughs).

KENNY PERRY: It's possible, I guess. I hadn't even thought about it. I will have to look at my points. I almost won the PGA back in my home course, Mark beat me in a playoff, but you know, I am not thinking about that. I am going to enjoy the moment. I mean, it has been such a long time for me to win. I am going to go home tonight, I won't get home 'til late, probably after one o'clock, and celebrate with my family; then I will head on down, Monday afternoon late, to go get ready for Tuesday, play a practice round for the PGA. It is going to be hard for me to refocus, I think. That-- it is hard to do. You see guys win back-to-back and it does happen. I am playing good enough to win. And I am driving the ball great. I heard it's a driver's golf course. So you know, things are looking good for me. If I keep my putter hot who knows if I can keep this mode that I am in right now, I might be able to pull it off. But you know, if it doesn't happen, that's fine.

KENNY PERRY: Pitching wedge. I had 137 yards to the hole. It probably flew 150 in the air. Well, 37, 45, yeah, because it hit on the backside of the green back there and then it springboarded down to that --

KENNY PERRY: Fred Sanders.

KENNY PERRY: Yeah.

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, I hit a beautiful bump-and-run up that hill, got it on the green made a great putt.

KENNY PERRY: I think it was good, I didn't look at the leaderboard until the 17 green. So I didn't really know what everybody was doing. I just tried to stay in my own game, stay focused and just play a hole at a time. I knew if I kept making pars, I had a 5-stroke lead, so they are going to have to shoot awfully low to catch me if I make any birdies at all.

KENNY PERRY: I messed up.

KENNY PERRY: I did. I told myself before I hit that shot I said you are going to have to hit a shot here and make something happen. I said nothing is happening for you today, you are struggling, you are going to have to somehow find a way to get the ball on the green. I probably hit the best drive of the week dead straight with just a little fade, and I fit it right in between those two bunkers, rolled right past the hole 20, 30 feet past the -- that was another key shot. That shot, my up-and-down on 6 probably my 2-iron on 16.

KENNY PERRY: I knew if I just rolled it -- there's no rough because not a lot of rain here in a long time here. I knew all I had to do was roll it on the ground, I knew it would go out there. I wasn't really too worried about that shot. It didn't bother me at all. I topped it along the ground, rolled it down there about 135, 40 yards.

KENNY PERRY: I hit a great shot, spin it off the green almost in the water, then when I got up there there's a lot of slope on that green right in that area which you don't realize, and I guess a lot of guys were probably doing the same thing I was today, I am sure that happened more than once.

KENNY PERRY: No. I knew I was playing good and I thought you know, Top-10 I probably you know, another good finish, I felt strong about my game. I felt like I could win. I am not going to say with these great players, yeah, I am going to beat you guys this week, you know, I mean, to shoot 25 under and only win by two, that's crazy. (Laughs).

KENNY PERRY: Probably took two years out of me, you know, of all my tournaments I have wanted to win that was the one I wanted to win because it was from my home state. I knew everybody in those galleries. It was a huge gallery following me. And then to do what I did and to have a chance to win and not win, it probably took me two years to recover from that because next two years were lousy for me. I didn't play well. I didn't care. I didn't want to play. I was just kind of going through the motions out there. I was able to keep my card, while I didn't have to finish high enough on that year to keep going. So it took a lot out of me. Maybe that will rejuvenate me get me going again.

KENNY PERRY: Not this week. Never has been. There has been a penny or a coin or a special shirt or something, but no, I just had enough clothes to get through this week without washing.

KENNY PERRY: No.

? KENNY PERRY: Just lost interest. You were so focused you think you have something in the palm of your hand, you got it won, then you don't win, it's pretty disheartening.

KENNY PERRY: No.

KENNY PERRY: With my dad, my dad, I remember as a little child he started me, we had a bag cover, a rain cover we put probably 30 balls and he would -- he'd sit on the ground and tee them up while I hit. We would hit for hours. I'd run and pick them up and he'd tee them up, teed them up, teed them up right on that little golf course. It's hard to believe that I come from a place where there's one golf course. Now I have my own. I built a public course there. It's the only public facility now, 9-hole course, I was raised on it now is an 18-hole golf course. But to come from where it did, you know, to come from a small town of 7,000 people, you know, my dad was just an avid golfer, he loved golf. What time we spent together we spent it on the golf course. Then as I went through college I got hooked up with Norman, he is my teacher, been with him ever since 1978. And he has Alzheimers. I wanted to mention that on TV, I didn't do it. I don't know if he recognizes me anymore which is sad. Great golf instructor, truly knew the golf swing. So you know, it really is hard to believe to come from that small of a beginning and to make it to the top. Lots of people had told me you are not going to make it. I think that's what fueled my fire. Took a lot of heart, guts, and courage; that's what this game is all about.