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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 12, 2008

Kenny Perry

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

STEWART MOORE: Kenny Perry, thanks for spending some time with us here they interview room at the John Deere Classic, a very clutch birdie there on 18 to get you up in a three-way tie for the lead headed into tomorrow. You've won twice this year but both times you came from behind. Right now you're tied for the lead. Change your mindset at all or still going to go out there and try to go as low as you can?
KENNY PERRY: I figure 20-under is going to win, that's the way I'm looking at it. That birdie on the last hole just got me one step closer to getting there.
It was a good day. Today was a day I played better than I did the first two rounds. I didn't score as well, but I felt like from tee to green I was better, and to me that's comforting for tomorrow. I had more game today for some reason. I felt better setting up to the ball. No matter where I was looking, my lines were better, and I just didn't seem to get the putts in, as many as I did the first two rounds. But I'm excited. Shooting 15-under, I've got a great shot at winning another tournament, and hopefully we'll get after it again tomorrow.

Q. When exactly was your knee surgery?
KENNY PERRY: March of '06.

Q. So it's been two years?
KENNY PERRY: Uh-huh.

Q. But you said it didn't really heal until this year. What was the situation?
KENNY PERRY: I was fine. I came back too early and I got in some terrible swing habits and it took me two years to get out of all the swing flaws, trying to protect the knee. Once the knee -- once I finally got over the swing flaws, I was okay.

Q. Do you think Tiger is going to be calling you for advice on coming back from knee surgery?
KENNY PERRY: If he does, I'm going to tell him not to come back too soon (laughter). Not to keep him away, but I made a poor choice and I tried to come back too soon and thought I was fine and I wasn't.

Q. Do you think he needs two, three years?
KENNY PERRY: Exactly. Three is better (laughter).

Q. When you're playing this well, do you almost take for granted that it's going to be there every day when you get to the golf course?
KENNY PERRY: No, I never take this game for granted. I've seen too many of my buddies play great, then all of a sudden they can't play at all. I've been out here too long to take anything for granted.
I mean, this game, you don't control it, you only contain it for a short period of time. I've just been in a good goof here for two months.

Q. Jay has gone to the long putter and he almost feels guilty about it. Did you have any of those reservations when you were using a longer putter, like this isn't golf?
KENNY PERRY: No, I never felt like it was illegal or I was cheating, no, I never felt that way with a long putter. It did help my stroke, meaning helped me when I went back to the short putter. That putter swings and it releases, and I have a tendency to want to stop my stroke. I don't really release the putter to the hole. And by just practicing with that, it really helps me. I practice with it at home on my putting green. It's a nice training aid.

Q. You were talking about not being able to make the putts today. Were the greens substantially different?
KENNY PERRY: They were slower. I didn't adapt as well. From all that rain, they really slowed down, and I just never had the speed right today. The ball was just kind of creeping up to the hole. It really didn't have much pace to it. It's hard to make putts that way.

Q. Talk about the lift, clean and place decision. Good, bad, indifferent?
KENNY PERRY: I thought it was good because if that system would have dumped a bunch of rain on us, it could have caused a headache for the next day. If it would have made us sit out and had to play -- come back Sunday or something. If you hadn't have played lift, clean and place, it would have made it virtually impossible to finish.
I think it was a good call, and now the weather is going to be beautiful tomorrow so we're going to get the tournament in. I think they did it right.

Q. You've been talking, this is your longest sustained streak of excellence. Is this as confident as you've ever been going into a final round?
KENNY PERRY: Well, I mean, I feel comfortable, let me put it that way. I'm not nervous. I'm very relaxed. I'm staying in the present better than I ever have. I'm not looking ahead thinking I can win the golf tournament. If I stay in the zone and stay a shot at a time, the wins will come. That's how I approached my Memorial and Buick, and it was beautiful how that turned out.

Q. Are the crowds responding to you more now, now that you've had success the last six months?
KENNY PERRY: Yeah, I've had a lot of people calling me by name and supporting me out there. That's been pretty neat. I had Jerry, my security guard -- I've never had a security guard assigned to me in over 22 years. He's been great. He's only 6'2", 300 pounds. If he can't defend me, I'm in trouble (laughter).

Q. Is it an advantage to you with all these guys behind you with agendas and you've got your 11 wins and you know how to do it?
KENNY PERRY: You know, I don't know. We're getting down to the end of the season where guys are trying to keep their jobs, they're trying to get their first win or second win or trying to get back from injuries. You know, I'm not too worried about it. They may have some anxiety starting out tomorrow, I may not. I'll be very relaxed. I'm just telling everybody I'm enjoying the ride, I'm enjoying the walk. If it goes my way, great; if it don't, I really don't worry too much about it. It's been awesome how I've played this year, and it's just been so much fun.
I hope my experience shows up tomorrow. I hope I play smart golf and make some putts and see if they can catch me.

Q. Does that approach take some of the pressure out of this game?
KENNY PERRY: I guess. You know what, I'm playing -- I guess I'm also playing more aggressive because I've got nothing to lose. I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. So for me in my situation, I can be more aggressive out there, where they may play more to the center of a green or whatever. Like that shot on 18, tucked left against the water, shoot, I fired it right at the flag and almost holed it. Some of them other guys may throw it out right and two-putt for par.
You know, it's just working; I don't know. If I knew the answer, I would have done this 20 years ago. It's just going my way right now.

Q. Who would take on Mark McCumber in 1994?
KENNY PERRY: Yeah, he beat me on the last hole.

Q. Who are you now that you weren't then?
KENNY PERRY: I was just a kid.

Q. Do you have a bunch of Kenny Perrys chasing you now?
KENNY PERRY: Well, I guess so. Everybody is trying to find their own way out here and trying to do it their own way. I was happy for Will. I mean, I really enjoyed -- he's a good friend and I was proud of him for coming back. He made double on 10, but then he made eagle on 17, so I just gave him -- just told him I was proud of him. I said, just hang in there, those wins will come. I pump up the kids more than I try to be an intimidator or try to make them fear me. I'm going to laugh and smile and pump them up just as much along the way and I'm trying to pump myself up. If I'm going to win, I'm going to win. That's just the way I look at it.

Q. Jay was in earlier and he said you two had dinner earlier in the week. What do you think about him and his game?
KENNY PERRY: Well, Jay is another guy who's -- he's got a wife and kids and he's just trying to find his way out here. We went to Duck City, great restaurant, and they're always saying how are you doing it? What are you doing? How are you playing all these good rounds? I don't have any answers for them. I just tell them it's my time and I'm just playing loose and relaxed.
He just shook my hand and said, "I'm proud of you. I just admire what you've done the past two months, and I'd like to get in your shoes." That made me feel pretty good. I don't think I'll get paired with him tomorrow, but I hope he does great because I'm pulling for him.
STEWART MOORE: Kenny, good luck tomorrow. Thanks so much.

End of FastScripts

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