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Criticism of Perry is off base Wednesday, Jul 9, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Criticized for keeping a commitment, that's the Twilight Zone of PGA Tour player Kenny Perry. An independent contractor, Perry set up a yearlong tournament schedule that he thought would give him the best chance of making the Ryder Cup. He accomplished that by winning the Memorial Tournament and the Buick Invitational. Before Anthony Kim double-dipped on Sunday, Perry, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were the only multiple winners on the Tour this year. Now, Perry is catching heck for not playing in the British Open. Because Perry is doing what he promised to do and playing in Milwaukee next week, some have offered up unsound reasoning to back their contention that he should be at Royal Birkdale instead: -To beat the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, he's got to compete against them in the British Open. Hogwash. What happens in one tournament has little to do with what happens in an event several weeks later. Was it Rocco Mediate's tie for 36th at the Verizon Heritage that tipped off him taking Woods 91 holes in the U.S. Open, or was it the fact that he didn't do better than 54th in three events in May? -How will Perry be remembered if he doesn't win a major? First, I doubt if he cares much about his legacy. He will be remembered for what he is, a good guy from Kentucky who has made a nice living with a flat-footed swing. He will be 48 next month. What if he won the British Open? One major does not make a career. He would be another one of those players who had a wonderful week that was a shot or two better than anybody else in the field. Certainly, Perry is a far more accomplished player than Ben Curtis or Todd Hamilton. Yet, Curtis won the British in 2003 and Hamilton hoisted the trophy in 2004. After Perry won in Michigan last month, he was quizzed about the British and the interlocutor pointed out that he no longer needed the Ryder Cup points available in Milwaukee. "Well, I'm sure the sponsors - I've already committed to their tournament," he said. "That just wouldn't look good, in my opinion, to be committed and then just stone them to go play in the British Open, that ain't right. I'm not going to do that." When he committed, he was about No. 100 in the world. Now, he's No. 20. "I'm going to stand by my word," he said. "I committed to them the first of the year and that's where I'm going." Good for him. Born in Elizabethtown, Ky., Perry lives in Franklin and plays out of Country Creek Golf Club, a public course he borrowed $2.5 million to design and build. According to the PGA Tour media guide, the weekday green fee is $28, including a cart. He still provides 5 percent of his winnings to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., for scholarships - part of an agreement he made with a Franklin businessman who loaned him $5,000 for his third shot at the PGA's Qualifying School. His blinkers-on approach to playing in the Ryder Cup stems from the fact that the competition will be in Louisville, a couple of hours north of Franklin. "I'm not going to be able to get enough tickets," he said. At this point, Perry said, playing in the Ryder Cup is the most important thing in his career. U.S. captain Paul Azinger should be thrilled about that, and the fact that one of his players has the integrity to keep a promise. ------- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
