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COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS PRESENTED BY DOLPHIN ENERGYJanuary 27, 2010Kenny PerryDOHA, QATAR SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you for coming in and welcome to the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. Your thoughts about being here and the course and how you played today. KENNY PERRY: Well, I'm excited about being over here. I never travelled to this part of the world. I'm excited about the opportunity to play. The golf course surprised me. It reminds me of a U.S. Open with the rough as difficult as it is, with the high winds it's playing more like a British Open. It's a very difficult test out there right now. I think I shot 1- or 2-over today, made three or four birdies, but it's really in great shape. The greens are great, fairways are in great shape and it's going to be a great test. If the wind will just settle down a little bit, scores are going to be good. SCOTT CROCKETT: Looking forward to the challenge it represents? KENNY PERRY: I am. I like desert-type courses. I won last year at the FBR in Phoenix, reminds me of Arizona, Phoenix, Palm Springs, gives me that feel a little bit. So looking forward to the challenge, if I can get over this jet-lag, caught a little bit of something on the airplane, my voice is hoarse and trying to get over that. Everything is on track. Hitting it fine. I was surprised how strong the field was this week. I noticed the field here is stronger than what it would be back in San Diego at Torrey Pines. I think there's going to be so many World Ranking points this week here which is a great opportunity for me for that but it's going to be quite a test. Look forward to the challenge. Q. What do you think about the comments of Scott McCarron? KENNY PERRY: Well, I proved the press wrong a few times. I skipped the Open in 2008, I kind of set an agenda to make the to thousand eight Ryder Cup Team, so I went to Milwaukee instead of going to the British Open. And I really got crucified for that. But you know I finished sixth at Milwaukee, I kind of set a game plan, and I was able to accomplish my goal and make The Ryder Cup Team. So it's a great opportunity for me over here, if I can play well, earn points to try to get on the team, go to Wales, I would love to play one more Ryder Cup if I could somehow get on that team. Plus here I am 49 years old, I joined the Champions Tour this year, and you know my whole life has been in America. Now I'm comfortable with my life and I wand to see the world a little bit. It's a great opportunity for me to get out and branch out. My three kids are all grown and gone, and it's just my wife and I, so we want to travel the world a little bit and it's a great opportunity for me to come over here and see what it's all about, and pleasantly surprised. The people here have been great to me. Quite surprised, it feels like more of a vacation spot to me. I look at the city and it looks like Chicago. I live pretty close to Nashville, Tennessee, a town of about a million people but the city here dwarfs our city back home, so it's been a welcome surprise. I have really enjoyed it. Q. Would you like to play more over here? KENNY PERRY: Very much so. I would like maybe to come next year and play all three. I have never been to Abu Dhabi or Dubai. That may work out next year, we'll see. Q. Did you think it was going to be an easier test in terms of the strength of the field? KENNY PERRY: No, not really. I just didn't know -- like some tournaments on the American tour have stronger fields than others, and I didn't know how this was going to fall on the European schedule, was it going to be where the boys come and play or just four or five of the top 20, I didn't know how in the schedule -- it looks like everybody comes here, so I picked a good one. Q. The Dubai World Championship last year, there were no American players? KENNY PERRY: No, but you had all of the guys in America talking about it, The Race to Dubai. People, we started asking each other, are you going to join The European Tour, is that going to happen. Suddenly we had a lot of conversation about it and we talked about it. You see guys who it may be a slowly process but in the end there will be guys going that direction than there are root now. Q. Will you be one of them for the 2011 Race to Dubai? KENNY PERRY: I'm too old. I have to really set my goal -- I'm going down with my career. I'm trying to slow down now instead of increase my tournament schedule. Now, if this would have happened to me ten years ago, I would have said yes to that question. But here I am getting ready to turn 50 and I've got a bad knee, a bad elbow, I just have things that are really bothering me and I can't seem to play and practise the way I used to. So you know how I feel. I just can't practise like I used to. My body won't let me. Q. Do you regret not venturing further afield as a younger man? KENNY PERRY: Definitely, there's a lot of great opportunity for me. But you know, my kids were young, I was trying to be a good dad to my kids and I didn't want to venture from them. So when they were young growing up, I pretty much stayed close to home. I played 25 or 30 events on our tour, but I didn't have a lot of success. My success started when I turn 40 and the last ten years have been great. I've won 11 times in the last ten years, and my kids are up and grown and doing their own deal so I was able to rededicate my focus to golf. It would have been difficult for me to travel that far away from them at a young age. I don't know if I could ever -- Q. As Scott McCarron said, do you think the PGA Tour needs policing? KENNY PERRY: No. I don't know what Scott McCarron said. You're the second person that's brought that up and I don't know his comments. I don't know what he said. Q. He said that release clauses shouldn't be given and, especially in this current economic climate, Americans should stay at home and support American events? KENNY PERRY: Well, that's his opinion, but not of everybody on the PGA TOUR. I definitely want the releases. Q. You said initially to cut Tiger Woods a bit of slack - what is your view now? KENNY PERRY: I think he needs to come back. I think, you know, we're his family, too. I've been on Tour 25 years and I enjoy going to the tour each week because there's 150 guys that I'm pretty close to that I love to go out with and hang out with and be with. So I think if he comes back to us, I think he'll get a lot of support from the players, I really do. The game of golf, it will go on with Tiger or without Tiger. There's no one man bigger than the game. You know, you had from Hogan all the way up to Jack and Arnold and now you have Tiger stepping in, and there will be somebody else coming in, too. This will pass just like everything else. Q. You mean he needs to come back for himself rather than golf? KENNY PERRY: I hope so. I'm going to go give him a hug and shake his hand and tell him if he needs it talk to me or if I can help in any way, I will. I think that's the way we all should be. Q. Do you think he'll be well received? KENNY PERRY: I'm sure he had a lot of phone calls and a lot of people try to get near him, so when he decides to come back, then I'm going to approach him. Q. Game plan for the week here? KENNY PERRY: Hit the fairway. Literally, this golf course is all about driving it in the fairway. The guy that does well this week will probably be the guy that hits the most fairways. I did better today. I didn't Monday and Tuesday. You know there's a lot of little slight doglegs on this golf course and it seems like the ball wants to run out through the doglegs and you have to shape your ball. It's quite a ball-striker's golf course. And I've gotten more comfortable each and every day I played. Monday I was jet-lagged and was kind of out there and I noticed today I was a lot stronger and drove it a whole lot better today. I'm looking forward to that process continuing, because that's going to be the whole key to my success this week, if I drive it well. I noticed Tuesday and Wednesday, the wind was about the same and it's great I got to play a practise round in the Pro-Am today, it will kind of get me ready now for what I'm going to see tomorrow. Q. When will you start playing the Champions Tour? KENNY PERRY: This year, I turn 50 in August. You know, we'll see how all of this pans out up to The Ryder Cup, if I'm doing well, you'll see me fighting on the PGA TOUR and if I'm not playing well, you'll probably see me go out the other direction probably. Q. Have you ever played golf in Wales? KENNY PERRY: I have not. What does that mean? Is that not nice? Are you saying it's going to be cold and rainy? (Laughter). Q. Would you miss the Open at St Andrews if you felt it would improve your chances of making the Ryder Cup team? KENNY PERRY: No, I'll go to St. Andrews. I've played two Opens at St. Andrews and I love going there and playing. I hit a draw and that golf course really sets up pretty good for my game. So that will be where I will go this year. Q. Is making the Ryder Cup your overriding ambition for 2010? KENNY PERRY: Yeah, and try to have a chance to win a major again. I pretty much achieved all my goals in life on the PGA TOUR. I said I would like to win 20 times. I've only won 14. I've got to somehow win six more. Is that possible? Maybe. It's a dream. Just like my Ryder Cup was a dream in 2008. So to almost win the Masters last year and lose a playoff to Angel Cabrera -- I would still like to compete. Will my body still allow me to do it? We'll have to wait and see. Q. What has been the most special moment of your career? KENNY PERRY: I think it's been longevity. I've never been a superstar, and you know, I got my TOUR card in 1986. I've been fortunate enough to never have to go back to Qualifying School and kept my job every year, and I've been consistent I guess. I found all of my success here late in my life, which is kind of hard to explain. I don't know why at 49 I'm playing better than I ever did when I was 25 when I actually had more physical feel and hit it a whole lot further. I guess I'm just a slow learner. Just took me a long time to figure out how to play. Q. Has the equipment helped you? KENNY PERRY: Some people's equipment hurt and some people's helped and I was able to go with it. My clubhead speed is probably four, five, six miles an hour slower than when I was in my 20s, but yet I'm still hitting it this far and I'm still averaging 300 yards, but yeah, with the technology and the golf ball going further, that's kept me in the game longer, it sure has. Q. What would be your advice to young players coming through? KENNY PERRY: Don't lose sight of your dreams. I came from a town of about 7,000 people. People looked me in the eye and told me I was crazy to become a PGA golfer. They said, you know, you need to go to college, you need to get your degree, you need to work, and I just didn't -- I refused in my heart to believe that. I refused to -- I was going to work 100 per cent whatever I could do to make the PGA TOUR. It happened for me. I came from a nine-hole golf course, three bunkers on it, and I was able to make it all the way to No. 4 in the world. It's been quite a journey. I tell kids, don't ever give up, keep fighting for what you love. Q. Presumably you were devastated after Augusta but did a part of you think nevertheless, I can still win one of these? KENNY PERRY: It was funny, when I lost the 1996 PGA Championship to Mark Brooks in a playoff, that was devastating. That stuck with me for about two or three years and I played very poorly in 1997 and '98. I was able to keep my job but didn't play very well. Augusta, you know, I shed some tiers but I still smile about Augusta even though I still lost, because you know, to get a two-shot lead with two to play; and knowing I had a chance to win, to me, the tournament I always wanted to win as a kid, you know what, I got too many good memories. I fought as hard as I could fight. I set a game plan, I stuck to my guns and it just happened too fast and I hit it close on 15 for a tap-in. To that point, I had been aggressive to where I was always pushing -- and when I got to 17, I tried to guide it and told myself, all I have to do is make two pars and I've won the Masters. I should have said, make another birdie and try to win the Masters. Tried to hang onto it rather than keep the way I've been playing for 70 holes. And I just got out of my element all of a sudden. I had a very good routine, everything -- kind of got outside myself there for 45 minutes and next thing you know I make two bogeys on 17 and 18 and lose in a playoff. So great lesson I learned, I won the Traveler's, not long after that, to get back in the winner's circle again. It was sad but yet I still smile about it a lot and I still have good feelings. Q. Can you put that lesson to good effect the next time? KENNY PERRY: My window is closing. Can I get back in that position, I think if I can get that back in that position again, I think the outcome will be different. I don't know if I can ever get back in that position again. Q. When you go back to the US, will you preach the gospel of travel? KENNY PERRY: I would like to let them make the decisions but I will be a proponent of it and I will enjoy it and I won't have any problem doing it. Definitely open their eyes a little bit and not let them be -- have reservations about coming. It's funny, I know Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker came here last year, I bet y'all had a good time with Boo. He's hilarious. And I actually spoke to him about this tournament, and he spoke very highly of it. So you know when you get that going through the locker rooms, you'll definitely see guys want to branch out more. Q. The European Tour is known for being friendly, have you noticed that this week? KENNY PERRY: I've been watching in the lunch room, I see all of the guys, saying -- I can't understand what they are saying but they are all laughing. They are all laughing and they are all having a good time so you can definitely tell this tour -- our tour is individualistically all go our own way, you don't see a lot of guys hanging out. But here you'll see four, five, six, seven guys just sitting there talking, laughing, having a great time so I can definitely tell a big difference. Q. Have they embraced you? KENNY PERRY: Yeah, definitely, I know quite a few of these guys. They come over and play, so, it's been real good talking to all of them. Q. Does that explain the better team spirit for Europe in The Ryder Cup? KENNY PERRY: Yes I think it does but the US have had a good team spirit too, I think that's been a little bit misunderstood in the past. Q. Does playing around the world make you a better player? KENNY PERRY: I think so. You play in all conditions. I'm struggling with the time change, getting adjusted. You have a lot of obstacles travelling over the world trying to play your best golf and I think that will make you stronger and tougher and those will be the guys that I don't want to come up against. SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much. End of FastScripts |
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