Kenny Perry is golf’s ultimate check casher. He goes about his business playing golf, winning an average of an event every other year (he’s won 11 in 22 seasons) and making lots of money. $25,107,999 to be exact. But what he’s not about is making history – and never has been.
He is the classic PGA Tour winner. He piles up the tour wins and the money, which is impressive to many observers. But when it comes to the big events for which he might be remembered, he’s seldom to be found.
Perry’s been a full time player on tour since 1987, yet through 2007 he’d played in only 40 majors. That’s 1.90 majors per year. For a journeyman, that would be acceptable, but not for an 11 time winner. He should be teeing it up in no less than three a year, and every one for which he is qualified. Here’s his Big Four career in the proverbial nutshell:
Perry in the Majors - 1987 – 2007
8 Masters – best 12t in 1995
10 US Opens – best 3t in 2003 (1 top 10)
5 British Opens – 8t in 2003 (1 top 10)
17 PGAs – best 2 in 1996 (3 top 10s)
Top 10s – 5 (12.5%)
Top 25s – 13 (32.5%)
Missed Cuts: 11 (27.5%)
Perry in his 40s – 2001 – 2008
8 PGA Tour Wins
Money: $19,265,650
Average ranking: 39.4 (2001-2007)
Majors played: 21 of 32 (assumes he’s playing at the PGA)
The closest Perry came to winning a major was at the 1996 PGA where he lost a sudden death playoff to Mark Brooks. Brooks, a seven time winner on tour, played in 45 of 47 majors from the 1990 PGA through the 2002 US Open. If Perry had won the 1996 PGA would his attitude towards the majors have changed? Who knows? But over the next five years he played in only seven of the next 20 majors.
It’s ironic that Perry, a player with no apparent interest in making history, has recorded three wins at the Memorial considering that it is hosted by Jack Nicklaus, who wrote the history books. And I also find it amusing that he’s so keen on making the Ryder Cup team, another event where history is made, but money is not.
Milwaukee Trumps Birkdale
And that brings us to the British Open next week. Vijay Singh, the best 40 plus player, will be playing in his 57th consecutive major at the British Open. Kenny “Mr. History” Perry will be in Wisconsin playing with the second string.
I say let Perry go his way. He’ll turn 50 on August 10, 2010, at which time he can take his funky five piece swing to the Champions Tour and win tons of money unopposed, just as he’ll likely do in Milwaukee while all the big boys are at the British Open.
In 2008 Perry is 0 for 3 in playing in the majors. He’ll play in the PGA Championship, perhaps because he confuses it with regular PGA Tour events, both starting with the same acronym. Perry’s paucity of starts in the majors is proof of his disinterest in carving a place for himself in the history books. But in not doing so he’s managed to earn a singular distinction: by not playing for history he has earned his spot: Golf’s Greatest All Time Check Casher.
RSS
1 response so far ↓
1 Rick // Jul 9, 2008 at 8:35 pm
If his ego doesn’t need to be stroked by being known as a major winner or even a major competitor, there is nothing wrong with him. Maybe it’s the wannabe’s who don’t have the talent to be in Perry’s position of being able to make those decisions yet judge other’s motivations who have the real problem.
Golf is a game. It has no more importance than that, and there is nothing major about it in the grand scheme of things. Trying to derive heroics or history out of a game competition is misdirected emotionalism.
Leave a Comment