BUICK OPEN

August 11, 2001

Kenny Perry

KENNY PERRY: Well, it was so much of a roller-coaster round for me today. I birdied the first three holes right out of gate and I am thinking that's what I did yesterday and I am thinking, wow, we are off and running again. And then I kind of got my eyes opened a little bit on the 4th hole had 96 yards to the flag stick, sand wedge little low to the back fringe, chipped it up to about two feet, missed a gimmee. All of a sudden it kind of stunned me. I was just -- I couldn't believe I missed it. But then I made about 20-footer for birdie on 5 and then I hit a poor drive on 6 for bogey; then I hit pin-high right on 7 on the par 5 and chipped it a little long. I 3-putted for bogey. So I am thinking, wow, I said here I am running hard and then all of a sudden I let three shots get away. Get on the 10th green I look at the leaderboard for the first time and I noticed I was one behind. I was 15-under and leader was 16, so figured we got to go somehow. I hit probably the best shot of the day, 5-iron on the 11th hole, hit it to three feet for birdie. Then drove the 12 green, chipped it up for birdie. I am thinking, you know, we are going good because I got two short holes, I am thinking I am driving the ball great, par 5, I am thinking I can get on in two, making a good chance of eagle, good drive right side, 5-iron front of the green, 30-footer, putted up there a foot and a half by, gimme, missed it. Next hole short little par 4, I can -- drive it over there to the left of the bunker, chipped it -- I was on a -- where everybody has been standing, it was really matted down and I hit a poor chip about 20 feet away, I made par. I had a lot of emotions running in my head. I am saying I was off to a great start. Then I let it get away, and then probably the shot of the tournament was obviously the bunker shot on 16 that I holed for eagle. That kind of woke me back up and got my momentum going. Hit a terrific 7-iron on 17 for birdie; made a great putt there. I made even better putt on 18 to jump on out there. I just had that killer instinct coming in. After I made that eagle really changed my thinking and the momentum I had and I really wanted to stretch it on out there.

KENNY PERRY: I felt very comfortable with the shot. I didn't know I can make it, but when I saw it landed in the area I wanted the ball to land when I hit it. Then it rolled just like the putt. It broke right in the hole just like I was seeing it, went in. You don't think you are going to make them. I felt like I could hit it really close.

KENNY PERRY: Probably 25 feet, the most.

KENNY PERRY: I have not. Never have. Never posted two rounds low in my life back-to-back. I have never shot -- I shot 29 on the front yesterday and 29 on the back today, so it was really a roller-coaster round today. I felt good, I felt bad, then I felt great. So I mean ---

KENNY PERRY: I am driving the ball so well I have probably driven it the best this week than I did in a long time, I am hitting it long, set up a lot of these holes, kept hitting it in the fairway, had short irons, kept giving myself opportunities. I think that was key to my whole round kept driving it in the fairway. Last I drove it so far I hit it in the crosswalk where all the people have been walking coming across, so if I can continue to do that again tomorrow, I don't see why you know, I can't shoot another good round.

KENNY PERRY: Well, I did switch -- I have been with Taylor Made for seven years and I did switch to the new 320 driver at the start of this year and I went with a little bit softer shaft. I have been playing a pretty stiff shaft graphite design has been the shaft I have been using. When I get a shaft that is too stiff I tend to hook it. We softened the shaft up a little bit, next thing I know I can swing at it, the ball is going straight. That gave me a lot of confidence. I am swinging at it pretty hard and the ball is going straight, going where I am looking. Then I switched to the new 360 irons from Taylor Made, probably the best set of irons I have ever played with. I am hitting them at my target. I feel good. They are -- optically they are good to look at and easy to hit. All and all it's given me a lot of confidence.

KENNY PERRY: Pro V. Ball the Titleist.

KENNY PERRY: I switched balls. I switched from the InerGel Taylor Made to the Titleist ball.

KENNY PERRY: I have not, no. I have had this crazy swing since I was a kid, I think.

KENNY PERRY: Well, I don't know. I have never been in this situation for one. I have won three times so I know how to win. The pressure is not going to bother me, just a matter of me focusing in and going out there and playing the golf course the way I have played it the past three days. My putter has been a lot better in the past two months. I have had four Top-10s at my last six tournaments; finished 11th last week. I have been playing really good golf. It is just a matter I am starting to make a few more putts. I think that has been the big difference and why my scores have gotten better.

KENNY PERRY: It won't mean anything. I just want to win. If it's setting a tournament record or not setting a tournament record, if it gets the job done and wins the golf tournament that is all that matters to me. It has been five years since I have won, and I am really hungry to win again. That's the only thing on my mind is winning a golf tournament again.

KENNY PERRY: Freddie has helped me a lot. He works for Robert Damron, and Robert was supposed to not play. He ended up playing this week, but we already had set it up to play. Freddie used to caddie for me probably four, five years ago, and we always had a good relationship. He is very confident what he is doing out there. He believes -- he knows my yardages and when I ask him a club, well, what do you think it is, a 5-iron, it's just a normal stock 5-iron go on and hit it. It is not like, well, you need to cut a 4, you know, he is very confident in what he is saying. On the last hole I said: What do you like? He said, driver, best club in your bag, go and hit it. I stepped up there swung as hard as I could and got it right in the middle of the fairway. I think it is important not to have indecision in your head and to be committed to your shot and go and hit it.

KENNY PERRY: I don't want to play defensively. I just want to play like I played the past three rounds, try to forget where I stand in the golf tournament; try to focus in, play a shot at a time, and hopefully I keep hitting that driver the way I am hitting it.

KENNY PERRY: No, I beat Hale Irwin in my first win in a playoff at the Memorial. I beat Curtis Strange at the Bob Hope coming down the last hole. We were tied. And then Boston I had a one-shot lead over David Feherty (phonetic). He still says never for gives me. So all my wins either playoffs or just right there nip and tuck the whole round. Just going to go have me a good dinner tonight and try and get me a good night's sleep and hopefully come out tomorrow and play.

KENNY PERRY: I was in the crosswalk where everybody had been walking. They had matted the grass. There was no grass, it was like dirt, very hard, very packed down. And I was afraid my sand wedge was going to skip, I was going to kind of skull it a little bit, hit a low-liner is what I thought might happen. I was trying to get a drop back, but the more we talked the more -- he would have given me a drop if I asked for it, he would have given me a drop, he would have marked the whole area off, he told me, for play tomorrow, if I get a drop everybody else is going to get a drop. I guess nobody hit it in that area where I hit it today, I don't know. But I set my club in behind the ball, it felt okay, and I just went on and played it because behind me wasn't great either. Everybody had been walking back and forth where I was going to take a drop wasn't that great either so I just went on played the shot, hopefully I didn't skip, it ended up there was enough ground under it, hit a nice shot.

KENNY PERRY: When I saw it land I knew it had a good chance. I mean, it landed on the spot I was looking at. And it -- I knew it was going to probably break 4, 5 inches from right-to-left. It landed, then when it took its first hop, it was rolling, I knew it had a shot of going in. I really did. I don't know what I did, it was just -- it was a reaction.

KENNY PERRY: No, I am just going to go back and go find me something to eat and just take it easy.

KENNY PERRY: It would be nice to have my kids here, my wife. My kids are 17, 15 and 13 and they are in school. We started school last week, so, they will watch it on TV, I guess.