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AT&T CLASSIC

May 16, 2008

Kenny Perry

DULUTH, GEORGIA

THE MODERATOR: Like to welcome Kenny Perry into the interview room. You've had an interesting 24 hours. A lot of golf yesterday and then early out this morning, and here you are in good position.
KENNY PERRY: Yeah. Interesting day yesterday. I was telling people, I've never played 18 holes when it rained on me from the first shot to the last shot. It never stopped. Very fortunate to play as great as I did yesterday. I mean, it just seemed like I got away with my misses.
There were a lot of difficult holes out there into that wind and into that driving rain. Just seemed like I was hitting knuckleballs with the drivers, but they would always not find a bunker and there's not much rough here so I was able to make pars.
Add then, you know, I spent seven hours on the round yesterday. Got home back at the room around 8:00, you know, quick bite to eat, jump back up and I told Joe Ogilvie and Dean Wilson I was tired today. I mean the first six holes I was dragging.
I made a beautiful putt on the 6th hole, the Par 5 there; it was about a 30-footer; knocked it way by the hole. It probably had 8 feet of break in it. When that went it in it kind of woke me up a little bit, and I played really nicely from then on. I hit a lot of nice quality golf shots. I drove it beautifully and made some nice putts.
So ended up shooting 3-under. So very happy with the round, very happy with the position I'm in.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You mentioned something that's always interesting to me about golf in general, being a reporter work late nights. How tough is it to be at your best at 6:45 or 7:30, particularly -- just in general, never mind today or -- in general how tough is it to get out there and hit quality shots, an athletic thing, at 7:00 in the morning especially on days when you played late the day before?
KENNY PERRY: I can tell you it was a lot easier when I was 24 and 25 years old. That's what I found. The older I've gotten, the lot tougher the early morning rounds are.
Just seems -- you know, my original time was 7:20 today but with the rain I didn't tee off till 8:00. So it gave me 30, 40 more minutes to kind of get ready. But hit a horrible drive off that first tee. Thank goodness it was a big wide fairway and I was able to hit a 7-iron on the green and 2-putt for a good solid par. It's getting harder.
I tell you it's tough knowing that you got to play and it's that early and you got to hit quality golf shots immediately on tough holes and hang in there. But I've done it for -- this is my 22nd year so I've gotten use to it over time I guess.

Q. How do you combat that? Do you stretch, do you use Starbucks?
KENNY PERRY: No. If I did Starbucks I would never make a putt. I can't have any caffeine before the rounds. I've just noticed I've gotten a lot shakier. I get that little right hand that wants to smack that ball and not be real smooth.
So, you know what, I don't stretch. I'm old school. I don't workout. I just hit a lot of golf balls and I just practice. I make sure I'm out on the range an hour, hour-and-a-half before my round. I'll putt for 45 minutes then I'll sit there for 45 minutes and hit a lot of golf shots and that's how I stretch. So I just try to make sure when I go that this first tee I'm ready to hit it.

Q. Would you guess over those 22 years that you might be a three-fourths of a stroke higher on the rounds you start at 7:00 a.m. compared to the ones you start at noon?
KENNY PERRY: No, I would I say my better scores are in the morning. The conditions are normally better. You got softer greens, the greens are fresh for you, normally not windy.
I mean, we played first eight or nine holes today it was fairly calm out there. And then it started picking up. It's getting pretty gusty now. So they're going to play in 10, 20-mile-an-hour winds this afternoon. So normally the morning round is usually the scoring round.

Q. Can you talk about just how miserable you felt yesterday despite shooting a 66 just because of the weather and all that? I mean, it was just one of those rounds where you just --
KENNY PERRY: You just grind it out. I mean, you just find someone to keep your grips dry. And, you know, I didn't get wet. I had full rain gear on and it wasn't cold thank goodness, and it wasn't windy. But you had a lot of spots where the rain was driving in on you, and would make the holes play very difficult.
So, you know, I was fortunate I putted beautifully. My putter counter acted the rain. I made a lot of nice saves, clutch putts that kind kept the momentum and kept the round going. And then you know what I just told Freddie we'd have -- thank goodness they had guys on carts that would come every six or eight holes and they would swap our towels out. I thought that was awesome. The tournament did that. And that was huge on my part because, you know, I got to be able to hang on to that golf club.
I've got those Tour Wrap Grips and there's no cord in them there at all. If they get water on them they're very slick. So it was very important to me to have a dry towel. And I had about 15 gloves under my umbrella. I was rotating the glove on every shot. I'd put a fresh, dry glove on after every shot.

Q. (Question about 15 gloves).
KENNY PERRY: Definitely because I've never played in the rain that long. I've never had a tournament -- normally thunderstorms or something, they'll run us in. You know, we'll go back out and it won't be raining. But to just have a steady drizzle to downpours all day was pretty interesting.

Q. Could you talk about the importance of coming back and playing so well these first two days considering what happened on Sunday at Players?
KENNY PERRY: I mean, I played good last week. I just got caught in a situation where it was very difficult on Sunday. I mean, we played in 30-mile-an-hour winds on a golf course that was set up in major championship form. And I just didn't handle it very well. I mean, I hit one really bad horrible, horrible golf shot when I scolded out of the bunker on 15 and made triple.
I take a lot from last week. 81 is disappointing, a terrible round of golf. I knew I was playing well, knew I was putting well, and just be patient. You know, I had a lot of people call me and just tell me to be patient your game's coming. And it is. I'm playing a lot better golf.

Q. I was going to ask a couple questions about Ryder Cup. I know that's a big thing you have talked about a lot this year. When you came out this year did you have a plan in mind? Did you want to play a lot of tournaments and start getting points or what was --
KENNY PERRY: That was my goal, just to keep putting myself out there. I mean, I'm playing a whole lot more now than I normally play this year than I have in the past. The only way for me to earn, you know, to kind of get in Paul Azinger's eyes is to play a lot and play well. If I don't make it on points, you know, he gets four picks. I need to at least-- if I'm playing well enough, if he does decide to pick me, you know, that he's not going to be nervous about his pick.
But, you know, that is just a dream of mine. That's a goal. I would love to get back to my home state and represent my country right in front of everybody where I feel like that place owes me a little something so when I go back there. And looking forward to it. That's what motivated me to play today.
After last week a lot of guys after the rounds would have probably packed it in and been frustrated, but, shoot, I'm determined. I'm going to play -- I've got some good tournaments coming up, The Colonial and Memorial the next two weeks and so I'm on a good run. I'm playing well so hopefully, you know, something will go my way.

Q. This is, what, 12 or 13 events you played which is like some of the young kids would play. So you must be feeling well?
KENNY PERRY: I feel great. My knee's good after surgery. All that's good. I don't have any trouble walking the golf course. I still have a lot of strength. My power's good. My distance is good off the tee.
You know, just got to get my head in the right spot. If I can get my head focused in and dialed in and, you know, get in there to when I was winning golf tournaments and kind of get in that form and that feeling, you know, I think it will come back to me.

Q. What would you mean to win this tournament?
KENNY PERRY: It would mean a lot. I mean, it would just start opening up doors for me, you know, to -- here I am ranked, what, 100th in the world. I need to figure out somehow to get back in the top 30's in rankings.
I just got a lot of goals this year to see if I can prove to myself I still got it, or am I too old, which I don't think I am. I think I still have a lot left to offer here.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Kenny.

End of FastScripts

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