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TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2009

Kenny Perry

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome Kenny Perry to the interview room. Kenny, shot a 61 today which is a low first round Opening round at this tournament. Kenny, if you'd start off and give us some general comments and at the end we'll have you go you through all nine birdies.
KENNY PERRY: Well, I think I only had like seven putts on the front nine which is unusual for me to get the day off going. But really the saving of the round was the second hole. I hooked the tee shot into the left bunker, was dead. Chipped out sideways, knocked it on and made a 20-footer for par, which really gave me a little momentum. And then I went on.
I putted it in from off the green on 3. And then I made a beautiful putt on 4. I mean, these were long putts. They weren't even short putts.
So, then I kind of got into the round. Got some momentum, and got energized a little bit. And next thing you know, I shoot 29 on the front nine, and birdie the 10th hole. And stiff it on 11 and missed it. Then I hit it and had a chance on 13 for eagle and missed. I drove it on 15, you know, 20 feet, 15 feet for eagle, missed there. Hit it close on 16.
So I was looking for that magical number. I thought I could do it today. And it was definitely in the back of my head. I was definitely trying to get it done.
But I'm very happy with the round. I mean, whenever you can birdie half the hole, it's pretty amazing.
DOUG MILNE: The 61 also matches his career best for the 2003 Colonial. Is there any questions?

Q. Was there any similarities?
KENNY PERRY: I seemed to make more putts at Colonial. Where today, that back nine, there's a lot of risk-reward holes in the back nine here. You can make some eagles or whatever. And it just seemed like even though I made a couple of long putts early in the round, which really got the round going, but then you I started hitting some real close iron shots.
It just seemed like Colonial the hole was huge. Didn't matter what I did, it was going in the hole. Where on the back nine, my pace was good, I just couldn't seem to read them, that's all.

Q. What point did the 59 start creeping into your mind?
KENNY PERRY: When I birdied 10. When I got it to 8 under I really thought all I've got to do is 7 under. I thought, you know, with the eagle holes coming up, and you know those holes I really felt like I had a shot at it.

Q. Speaking of eagles, on 15, you're 19 feet away. You had that kind of a slick putt. Did you think you were going to make that at any point? We can put you to 10 in the first round and put you in great position?
KENNY PERRY: I felt very good over that putt. I hit it too hard. And I played too much break. It was probably a left edge putt. I probably played it two balls out, and it just stayed right there and just kind of went a couple of feet by the hole.
It was a good putt. It had good speed on it. I just misread it.

Q. Do you have a better feeling of possibly breaking 60 here or at Colonial?
KENNY PERRY: Here, yes. It just seemed like Colonial, if I remember, I was working my way to the number. But here I got to the number pretty fast. When you get it to 7 under through 10, you know, I birdied 7 of the first 10 holes, you know, that's pretty incredible. So, yeah, to me, I thought I had a great shot at doing that today.

Q. Is this the best you've played since the Masters?
KENNY PERRY: Most definitely the best I've he played since the Masters. I've been struggling. My iron game's been off. My putting has been pitiful. So today it all kind of came together. The greens were perfect. We had great weather. It was warmer. No wind, soft conditions.
And you can look all up-and-down the board, the scoring this week is unbelievable. I mean, I saw Aaron was 1 under and he was in 93rd place. I mean, so the guys were going low.

Q. Was there a hangover after what happened?
KENNY PERRY: No, I really enjoyed that week. That was a fun week. I hadn't really thought much of it afterwards. You know, the week after, a little bit. But after that I haven't paying too much attention to it. I was trying to get back in that winner's circle again.

Q. Seven times in the Top 10 in this tournament, does that help you when you're out there on the course thinking this is the course that I played so well?
KENNY PERRY: Well, what is this? My 21st event here? Yeah, it's nice. I kind of have a history of playing well at courses I know very well, you know. It seemed like I had success at it, I continue to have success there. You know, the Buick or Colonial and Memorial. All these tournaments I've won multiple times.
It just seems like when I get back to these places, I understand how to play the golf course and feel very comfortable playing them.
DOUG MILNE: Could you go through your birdies?
KENNY PERRY: 4, I hit a 5-iron, drive to 25 feet, made a great putt there. 6 is a par 5. I hit a great bunker shot on 6. I hit driver-3 wood into that mid-bunker. It was probably a 30-yard, 40 yard bunker shot, and I hit it to two feet.
And 7, I hit a good drive and a pitching wedge to probably 4 or 5 feet there.
8 I hit a beautiful 5-iron to probably about eight feet on 8.
And 9 a hit a sand wedge to four feet there. And 10 I hooked a 7-iron, I kind of pulled my driver in the trees over there, and I hit a hooking, swinging 7-iron to around the trees to about 18, 15, 18 feet. I was able to get that in.
And 13 I hit in two, driver, 3-wood, and I drove it on the green. I probably had a 19 or 20-footer there.
DOUG MILNE: Thank you, Kenny, and good luck the rest of the week.

End of FastScripts

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