THE BLOGFollow up on Perry
Kenny Perry takes pride in his ability to absorb shots and bury them. And he’s been doing plenty of both lately. While others wonder why he’s skipping majors, Perry’s enjoying one of his best runs in more than two decades on the PGA Tour. That trend continued Thursday, when he fired a 6-under 65 in the first round of the John Deere Classic, and it won’t stop if he keeps playing this way.
Perry chose not to try qualifying for the U.S. Open last month, and won’t be heading to the Open Championship next week. Instead, he’ll play the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. “I’ve been getting hammered for it,” Perry said. “I’m proud of myself to be able to push that aside and go out there and shoot good scores.”
The 47-year-old Perry is right behind Ken Duke and Charlie Wi in a tie for third after winning two events last month. Woody Austin was in a group at 5-under, with 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson five strokes behind the leaders.
He birdied his first three holes at TPC Deere Run, setting the tone for his round. He started on the par-5 No. 10 and drove a sand wedge to 18 feet, then hit a 9-iron within 11 feet on the par-4 11th before driving a 5-iron to 10 feet on the par-3 12th. “I just feel very comfortable here,” he said. “It’s kind of in my element here, in my wheelhouse.” He missed a 15-foot birdie putt on his final hole that would have put him in a tie for first. Even so, it was another good round, one of many in recent weeks.
Yet for all the shots he’s made lately, Perry has also absorbed his share for passing on majors. Ineligible for the Masters, he decided not to go through 36-hole qualifying for the U.S. Open the day after winning the Memorial because he was tired. Then, he raised a few more eyebrows by choosing to honor his commitment at Milwaukee rather than go to the Open Championship, even though this seems like his best shot at a major. After all, he’s playing well and Tiger Woods is out with a knee injury. The Kentucky native is more consumed with helping the United States win the Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Louisville, so he set a schedule that he thought would land him on the team. “That’s the only goal I’ve got,” Perry said. “I’m not really focusing toward the majors or nothing. I’ll get to play the PGA (Championship) here in a few weeks and I’m looking forward to that.”
While Perry kept his momentum going, Johnson hopes to build some this weekend. He finished with a birdie on 18 and, more importantly, made it through the round pain-free after missing three weeks because of tendinitis in his left wrist. He also put himself in position to survive the cut after missing it last year. “I’m hitting it pretty good,” said Johnson, who grew up just over an hour away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “My driver’s coming along; I switched drivers this week. I just have to start making more putts. It’s not like I hit it to 6 feet every hole, but I gave myself chances. I just didn’t make many.”
