Kenny Perry’s Day In The Sun
by Stephanie Morgan, Columbus Wired (May 31, 2003)

May will prove to be a very lucrative month for David Lipscomb University. See, Kenny “Under The Radar” Perry donates 5% of his winnings to his wife’s Alma Matter to fund a pair of scholarships each year for two children from his home county.

When Perry took the lead in the second round at The Memorial, he was the unassuming Kentuckian that has always been happy with his relative unknown status on The Tour. Being mistaken for other golfers, or having very few people realize that you’re one of the top money-makers has afforded Perry a certain amount of anonymity over the years. More than once, he has been mistaken for Ohio’s own Chris Perry, having many yell “Go Bucks!” as he played in tournaments.

After this week, it is doubtful that Perry will remain “one of those Perry golfers” for long. He is only the fortieth golfer to win back-to-backs since 1970. He is only the 10th out of the prior 28 36-hole leaders to win The Memorial. Whereas last week, his victory at The Colonial was overshadowed by Annika Sorenstam’s appearance, this week’s Memorial has been Perry’s chance to shine.

Whether managing a 2-under-par during yesterday’s cold and wind when a significant number in the top ten failed to make par, or playing the best front 9 of his life today, Perry distanced himself from the pack early and held on throughout. Where the top ten changed day-by-day and hour-by-hour depending on the conditions and feel of the day, Perry never seemed to waver. As Perry explains it, this is the type of player that he’s always been. “I have always been a steady player. I have never been flashy but I always hit it far enough, straight enough.”

Today was a day of comebacks and disappointments for many players. Weir and Woods both came in at 7-under-par to reclaim top-ten spots (3rd and T4, respectively). Where Olazabal was the darling of yesterday’s round with a 6-under-par that no one could touch, the course became less forgiving and he was only able to manage a 3-over-par 75 today (putting him in 10th place).

Perry remained the steady player the entire tournament. His first-round 65 placed him in second place. It was solid play that would put him into first place the next day and leave him alone with the lead. A remarkably steady day during the bad weather would leave him at the top. Today, everything was business as usual. Throughout the tournament, Perry shot 65-68-70-72. What Perry was able to do was take a solid start and play the game that allowed him to do what it would take to keep and maintain the lead this week.

Kenny Perry’s path to professional golf started on public courses. As a gift to his hometown, Franklin, Kentucky, Perry and his brother took out a two million dollar loan ten years ago to build Country Creek, a public course where 18 holes runs $12; $28 with a cart.

The course is built for speed, fun and the rest of the golfing world plagued with slices that will never go away. “It’s wide open right anywhere on my golf course. Most of you guys would probably like playing there,” Kenny quipped. When asked when he last had a chance to play his own course, Kenny replies, “the last time I was home.” However, questions about his last score at home are a bit murky, with Kenny explaining, “I couldn’t tell you. If you don’t shoot 67 or better, you have not played very well.”

Perry’s victory last week at The Colonial was a cause for celebration in his hometown. After chartering a plane home, Perry’s wife prepared about fifty folks for his arrival. Kenny has received a lot of grief over the years for his garish Tabasco shirts. To complete the joke, his wife had gone through his closet to make sure all of his greeters were wearing those shirts when he came home.

This week, plans aren’t so well defined. See, Perry is an avid car-fan, favoring those in the high-horsepower range. He is first heading over to Indianapolis to meet with a friend, Billy Glidden. Glidden is the son of Bob Glidden, a ProStock champion. This particular trip is to pick up the drag racer he’d left with Billy for some work. When asked if he would consider a foray into drag racing, Perry jokingly acknowledges, “No, they pushed me away from it.”

Between picking up the racer and visiting his friend, Perry isn’t entirely sure when he’ll get home. He jokes, “I will fly under the radar and slide right at home.” The reality is that there is no doubt that all of Franklin, Kentucky will be ready to greet him at home when he tries to slide in.

Also waiting at home are talks of the missed dance recital. His daughter, Lindsey had one of the biggest recitals of the year this weekend – it is one of Perry’s big regrets during an incredibly up week. He is the doting, proud father when he talks about her. “That was hard for me to miss. She is my 15-year-old. She is a good dancer. I love watching her. It’s a pretty big show…It was in Bowling Green, Kentucky. There was a big stadium and a couple of thousand people watching. It’s pretty awesome.”

Also awaiting Perry is his garage, where he’s able to tinker with one of his many muscle cars (he prefers 60’s Camaros). (These come in at a paltry 500 hp.) When Perry jokes, “the law, they like me,” he doesn’t mean it the way that most would expect. Instead, Perry explains, “they will pull up beside me, and say ‘let’s cut loose. Let’s see what they’ll do’…They are good policemen.”

At 42, Perry acknowledges that he has finally learned the lesson that his father has been trying to teach him his entire life. Phone calls from his father every evening this week have not been about that day’s round. As Perry explains it, “he is just excited and he is just thrilled for me. He always says, ‘I knew you could do it. Now you believe in yourself, now go out there and beat them.’”

Above all else, Perry remains incredibly loyal to those who have been there for him throughout his career. The aforementioned gift to his wife’s Alma Matter is more than a kind gesture from a husband to his wife. In 1984, Perry acquired his card. In 1985, he was down on his luck. As Perry tells it, “I went to an elder and said I would like to try the school one more time. He gave me $5,000. He said, ‘if you don’t make the Tour, you don’t owe me a dime. But if you make the Tour, you are going to give a percentage back.’ I blitzed through all of the qualifying stages and made it through and made it on the Tour. So now with my career earnings, I have given $550,000 to the David Lipscomb Scholarship Fund for two kids.”

Right now, Perry is enjoying his moment in the sun. That, and he’s looking forward to playing on the President’s Cup team. Still, ask Perry if he can explain the last two weeks and all he can say is, “I think it was my time.”