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CONSTELLATION SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 2018

Kenny Perry

Highland Park, Illinois

Q. What were some of the highlights that stand out from your round today?
KENNY PERRY: I actually made some putts today. I didn't make any -- I've had a tough year this year. I've only probably played six events. Shoulder surgery kept me out the first four or five months of this year, and I've really had trouble starting the ol' engines. Ball-striking has been pretty good, but I've been putting lousy. Today was a day where I made some putts. I made a couple 20-footers, and then I hit some really close shots, and was just very steady, hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I played this golf course the way it's supposed to be played.

Q. Surgery in November was it?
KENNY PERRY: November 17th. Kept me out six months.

Q. Which shoulder was it again?
KENNY PERRY: Right shoulder.

Q. How are you physically with that right now?
KENNY PERRY: No problem with the right shoulder. It's doing real good. I don't have much pain, but I hurt my back last week, and I'm just getting old and falling apart, I guess. Doc gave me some muscle relaxers and painkillers I've been taking right now just getting me to where I could loosen up enough to even play. It's working so far, so hopefully I can hang in there for three more days.

Q. How did you hurt your back?
KENNY PERRY: I just bent over to pick a club up, and next thing I know I was on the ground. I couldn't move, and I was rushing to my chiropractor last Thursday afternoon to work on me, and then I went to the doctor to get some medicine to help me survive. I mean, I was in a lot of pain. This happened to me in Houston a couple years ago, same thing. I just bent over to get a club, back went out, and I struggled. I had to get a golf cart just to even play the last couple holes there in Houston. Thank goodness I was about done. Very painful.

But it was very manageable today, so I've been using that Biofreeze, been freezing my back pretty good, and that seems to be helping. It's a lot of doctoring.

Q. It was a tournament when you were picking up the club?
KENNY PERRY: No, that was last week. I was just practicing at home. I had played seven straight weeks in a row. It was terrible. I came home from the Colorado Springs, and I had strep throat Monday morning, so I'm sicker than a dog Monday through Wednesday, so got over that, and then I go to practice on Thursday and I blow my back out. Seven weeks in a row was way too much golf for an old man, so I just said that was not what I needed to do anymore. Last week was horrible. I couldn't do a lot. And then didn't have a lot of expectations coming in here, but I hit the ball nice and finally made a few putts, and that's why I shot a good score.

Q. The short one, how long was that one you had here?
KENNY PERRY: Yeah, two and a half, three feet. That's a heartbreaker to give that one away after hitting such good shots.

Q. So you're feeling good? You held up then?
KENNY PERRY: Well, it's manageable, let's put it that way. I don't feel good, but I can swing the golf club, and it's not slowing my swing down.

Q. Conditions in the afternoon here, did they pick up a little bit?
KENNY PERRY: It's beautiful. There was a little bit of wind out there, but the golf course -- it's a beautiful golf course. Great shape. You get a putt on line here, it goes in. I've enjoyed playing here. This is a beautiful place.

Q. What happened on No. 7, the bogey there?
KENNY PERRY: I hit it about 10 feet, 15 feet past the hole and I ran my first putt about eight feet by. It didn't look fast to me, but it was super fast, and then went way back, and I missed it coming back. I three-putted. I hit a beautiful drive, had 70 yards to the hole, hit a sand wedge a little past the hole and then three-putted, so that was kind of a bummer, too. I made some good putts, so all in all it was a great day.

Q. Just racking up the birdies today?
KENNY PERRY: You need to make lots of birdies out here. It's going to be a low score this whole week. There's going to be guys shooting good scores this week.

Q. The game plan here, how many drivers do you hit?
KENNY PERRY: I didn't hit a lot. I did hit one on 18, but like 16 and 17 right there, I hit 3-wood off the tee. A lot of 3-wood holes for me, just to position it. You just want to get it in the fairway and advance it on, just keep moving. Stay out of that wispy stuff, that stuff will get you.

Q. I assume it's safe to say it's a little more exciting when you're at the top of the leaderboard for a tournament that you've won before, even though it's at a different course?
KENNY PERRY: Well, it's more exciting when it's on the same course you've won on before, but when you're on a different golf course, we're all learning. This is a course none of us knows very well, so we're all trying to figure it out. It's a crash course in studying this place. It's a beautiful facility, old Donald Ross. It's amazing how they can build a golf course that's this old. I think this is the third oldest club in Chicago. Beautiful clubhouse, facilities. They've got a great place here.

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