THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2001

Kenny Perry

KENNY PERRY: Probably one of the top rounds I've played in my career out here. I drove the ball so well. I didn't miss a fairway, and I putted better than I have been putting lately. A combination of in the fairway, on the green, and realistically had some birdie putts and made some birdies. So it was a very pleasant surprise.

KENNY PERRY: No, my -- I didn't miss a fairway.

KENNY PERRY: Good question. I missed it on the par 3, 13, and that was it, I believe. I hit 16 greens.

KENNY PERRY: I was the second group out.

KENNY PERRY: We had probably a 12- or 15-mile-per-hour wind. Very steady all day.

KENNY PERRY: 1-under. Correct.

KENNY PERRY: You always think about making the cut. I was so into -- this golf course, each hole has its own problem, and you've got to be prepared to play each hole. To me, this golf course keeps me more focused than other courses we normally play. Other courses are -- I think ahead a few holes, like "the par 5 coming up, I can play this way." Here, it is so important to get it in the fairway every hole and get it on the right tier on these greens to have a realistic birdie chance. It kept me focused and in my mind. I didn't say I was going to go out there and shoot 66 or 74. My 66 just happened. I stayed very focused. I hit my shots, and next thing I know, I'm shooting 6-under.

KENNY PERRY: Yeah. I changed drivers this week. I started with this new 320. I had been playing the prototype 320, and I went to this new one, and just been hitting terrific. My other driver, when I missed it, I pulled it left; where this one, my mis-hits don't go left. If anything, they go to the right, which is the way I used to play golf.

KENNY PERRY: Nine holes. I played nine holes on Tuesday, nine holes on Wednesday.

KENNY PERRY: It was not -- the wind -- it wasn't even golf on Tuesday. It wasn't even golf on Wednesday. That wind was blowing with a 20-mile, 30-mile-an-hour gust. I've been playing, I guess, 15 years now, I think -- I don't know. Anyway, we have never played under that severe conditions. I guess maybe the first round last year. I played pretty good the first round under 20-mile-per-hour winds. The difference this year is the rain on Monday has softened the greens enough that they are holding the golf shots when they come onto the greens this year. In the past, they were firm, and with a 20-mile-per-hour wind, you've got gusts blowing, balls that come to rest and they start moving, and makes it very difficult out there.

KENNY PERRY: Still, the ball is plugging in the fairways.

KENNY PERRY: I had big chunks of mud on my ball. Like on the second hole today, which was my 11th hole, I hit a drive, and half the ball -- I could only see half the ball. And I hit this knuckleball that kind of went out, right, left, right, left, and then it just fell left beside the green. Thank goodness I only had a 4-iron into the par 5. All of my balls were collecting mud here and there. That's probably another reason why your shots are going a little off line. The fairways are holding and they are not running off into the deep rough.

KENNY PERRY: Actually, I didn't warm up very good this morning. Nothing felt exceptional. But when I hit a good tee ball on the 10th hole, and then I hit a terrific 9-iron to that front left pin placement. I made about a 20-footer right off the bat, and I think -- I think that just kind of relaxed me. And I ended up birdieing the next hole, and then I was off and running. So, you know, I got off to a great start, and I think that really set the tone for the day.

KENNY PERRY: No. It was blowing harder. It stayed constant all day. I think my tee times, the groups that have gone early/late are not as good as the groups that went late/early, because the greens are baking out. I can see a drastic color in the greens now, all of the sudden coming in when I played the last few holes. I noticed greens were picking up maybe a foot to 15 inches of extra roll-out, and they are just going to keep picking it up. The greenskeeper this morning told me that they are going to be ripe for tomorrow, which means they are finally going to get the greens up to the speed they want.

KENNY PERRY: No. I was like, "Great."

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, I hit a driver and a little 5-wood in the right green-side bunker. Blasted up to about four feet. 16, the par 5, I laid up to the left, and then I hit a wedge about a foot. Tapped that in. 18, I hit a good drive, and I had 180 to the hole. I kind of blocked a 6-iron out to the right in the rough out near those moguls. Hit a good pitch, but I hit it too easy and the ball broke out. Then I made about a 25-foot putt on the 1st hole, breaking probably two feet from left-to-right. Then I hit a good 7-iron to probably 15 feet on 3. Made a terrific putt there. We got put on the clock on the 3rd hole, which was, you know, old George, he was sitting there on us. So we had to pick up pace, and kind of got a little out of rhythm, but ended up -- I guess it helped me in the long run because I made a good putt on 6 for birdie. And I made about a 50-footer on the 8th hole. Pin is in the very front, and I hit a 4-iron to the back of the green. One of the longest putts I've made in competition in a long time. Fell in on just the last roll.

KENNY PERRY: The putt on 6, it was probably eight feet. Six or eight feet.

KENNY PERRY: I told them outside, a victory, it would not change me one way or another. If I win, I said terrific; if I don't, that's fine. I'm so focused now on my family right now. I've got a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old, and I was -- my kids have pretty much grown up without me, and feeling a little guilty about that right now. You know, my daughter she told me, I says, "How come we don't ever talk?" She's 16. I don't know if any of you have any 16-year-old girls. She's driving -- got her car -- around and she said, "Well, you're never here to talk to." That stuck a knife right through me. It would not change me one way or another. I don't see playing too many more years out here. I've played 15. I think I've done pretty good out here. I've only had a -- I've had a good career, basically. I've won three times. If I win, you know, that would be great. That would just be a bonus.

KENNY PERRY: Well, government gets half of it, so ...

KENNY PERRY: I've been hitting the ball really well. From tee-to-green, my game has been good. My putting has been horrendous. I made a change this week. I stuck the ball out on the toe of the putter, and then all of the sudden, it freed my hands up, it freed my arms up, and I know my speed is perfect and I'm making putts. I don't know if that rubber band is going to fix me or not, but it fixed me for these two rounds.

KENNY PERRY: It feels like it's not quite in the center or in the toe. It's kind of just in between. Anyway, I have a tendency -- I have a little loop in my stroke. My stroke comes in one side and I come a little over the top and the next thing -- my tendency is to miss my putts to the left. I pull a lot of putts. Putting it out on the toe, it kept me more inside, and next thing I know, my ball is taking off on the target line and I have great speed.

KENNY PERRY: I haven't played much with Jerry. I sure haven't. I talk to him. We sit in the locker room and talk, but we have not spent a lot of time together.

KENNY PERRY: Yes.

KENNY PERRY: No. Something that I'll go back to when the putter gets going. I putted cross-handed of the last three weeks. I was cross-handed at Doral, Honda, Doral and Bay Hill, and that was not doing anything any good. I switched back to conventional and moved the ball out and it kind of fixed me. So, we'll see. We'll see if it holds up under the gun tomorrow.