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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT


June 2, 2004


Kenny Perry


DUBLIN, OHIO

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Kenny, for joining us for a few minutes back here to defend your second title in two weeks, and it looks like you did pretty well last week at the Bank of America Colonial, finishing T12. Why don't you just talk about coming back and defending the title and the feelings that you have.

KENNY PERRY: Well, this is just a special place for me since I won here in 91. To me, to be the first victory winning at this place will always have a special place in your heart. Definitely it is a defining moment in my career, which kind of established that I was good enough to compete and be competitive out here.

So every time I come back and set foot on this property I have special feelings and I always look forward to coming every year.

Q. I have a question about the Ryder Cup, and obviously you're in the running at this point seriously. What have you heard about the Ryder Cup? If you make it, what are you looking forward to? Could you just talk a little bit about that?

KENNY PERRY: Well, I've played in two Presidents Cups, but they say -- the guys I've talked to who have played the Ryder Cup, they say it's totally different. The atmosphere is different. They're more like the guys you play against, Vijay, Ernie, they're all my friends, Nick Price, and we're pretty much buddy-buddy, so The Presidents Cup is more of a gentlemen's game. The guys tell me when it comes to the Ryder Cup it's really serious; they're out to win. There's not a lot of talking between the two teams, there's not a lot happening.

I'm anxious to see what it's going to be all about. That's kind of been my only goal this year, is to make that Ryder Cup team. I've pretty much done everything I wanted to do out here.

I've been in the tenth spot twice going into the PGA and got bumped out on the last day, so I've had my heart kind of cut out a little bit making the Ryder Cup team. I've realistically got a great shot. I think I've earned enough points to make that team already. I'm looking forward to the challenge. Hal Sutton is going to be a great captain. I really enjoyed playing for Jack and for Arnold. That was pretty awesome to have them as my captains, so it's going to be -- it's just a challenge for me, just something different instead of the same. I've been out here 18 years, so it's not another tournament, so it'll definitely be something that will challenge me mentally, as well as physically, because you play 36 holes and I'm turning 44 here so I'm not going to be the youngest out there.

Q. When you think of the Ryder Cup do you think of --

KENNY PERRY: I guess the one that sticks out is Justin Leonard's putt and everybody running out to the green. I guess that's the one that sticks in my head the most.

Q. What's the most nervous you've ever been on the golf course?

KENNY PERRY: In a tournament or like The Presidents Cup?

Q. Anything, any type of playing.

KENNY PERRY: I would say the most nervous I ever was was at the PGA in 96 trying to make that four-footer for par to win the tournament. I can still remember how nervous my hands -- I just didn't have any control over my hands. It only was about a two, three-inch break right to left four feet straight up the hill, and I shanked it. I hit a terrible putt. That was probably the most nervous I've ever been.

Q. You've heard the stories about guys not being able to work up a sweat on the first tee at the Ryder Cup -- I'm sorry, work up a spit, whatever they say in Kentucky. You wanted to win at the Presidents Cup, though? You played with Nick Price the last day?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, I had Nick on Sunday. We had a great match. We only tied three holes out of 18, so that was quite an emotional roller coaster ride. I had gotten 3-up twice in the match and he'd get it back to even. That was pretty emotional coming into the last hole. I knew we were down. We got killed on Saturday and we needed my point and I was one of the early guys out so it's important for the early guys to get you some momentum, and I knew how much that point meant to us. It would have been a tough loss if I would have lost that match being 3-up twice.

I hated to see Nick miss it, because I felt like the match was a draw. We both fought so hard. It was nice we won the point. We needed it.

Q. Did you ever see Nick react like that before?

KENNY PERRY: Never have. He was into it, too. We were battling. We both wanted to win.

Q. People like Riley and Jerry Kelly and Flesch and whoever keep talking about these notes that Hal is leaving in their locker. For guys that are pretty much already on the team, are you getting anything from him?

KENNY PERRY: I haven't received anything from him yet.

Q. That's probably a good sign.

KENNY PERRY: I guess, I don't know.

Q. I haven't been on the course much yet, but I keep hearing about these bugs out there.

KENNY PERRY: Incredible. I had two instances yesterday that was hilarious. The 8th hole I had the club pulled back about a quarter of the way back and I had one fly right under my arm, right here, and he just went right under my eyes as the club was going back and I kind of flinched and I hit it, but it was just a horrible golf shot, and I hit it way left over there left of the green. And I told my son -- and my son is caddying for me this week -- "Did you see that?" And he said, "Yeah, it went right under your arm."

A guy putted one, a 15-footer, and the ball hit one of those dudes and it jumped that high in the air and stopped right beside it. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. They could actually play a role in this tournament this week, they really could. They could actually alter a shot. Somebody's shot is going to probably get altered this week or get distracted or something. That noise was deafening yesterday. I've never heard a noise like that in my life.

Q. You don't have those in Kentucky?

KENNY PERRY: I guess not. I thought we had them. I remember the shells left on trees and stuff as a kid growing up, but I've never seen anything like this or heard that noise, ever.

Q. Do we need a local rule this week?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, we do (laughter), a redo. If they affect your shot you can do-over.

Q. How often has your son caddied for you this year?

KENNY PERRY: Just once, at THE PLAYERS. We finished 3rd. If I could have just picked the right club that he suggested on a couple par 5s. I was playing a little cautious, he wanted me to be aggressive, and I made pars where I could have made eagles.

Q. Who else are you using this year?

KENNY PERRY: I've used Andy Lanos a couple weeks, the guy who caddied for me for ten years, and Justin, and Billy Glidden, my buddy's caddie, and then Freddie, who caddied most of the first part of the year.

Q. Are you pretty much done with Freddie?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, we're done. He's working for Hank Kuehne now.

Q. What will you do for the U.S. Open?

KENNY PERRY: Andy is going to caddie for me there.

Q. The British, you have to go back there again?

KENNY PERRY: Exactly.

Q. You missed out on a lot of good years there, Kenny?

KENNY PERRY: I did. I'm going to have my experience over the next few years.

Q. Do you have a favorite U.S. Open memory, either one that you played in or one that you remember watching on TV?

KENNY PERRY: Good question. I've missed so many cuts in those U.S. Opens, I don't have a lot of good memories playing them. I finished, I guess it was, 3rd last year. That was my best tournament ever there in Chicago. You know, the one I remember the most probably watching on TV was Kite's win at Pebble Beach. That's the one that stands out with the weather conditions so poor and the golf course playing so hard and scores were so high. That's about it.

Q. How many times have you done Shinnecock? Did you do both of them?

KENNY PERRY: No, 95 is the only time I've played there. I missed the cut. Typical (laughter).

Q. Why is that, do you think?

KENNY PERRY: I don't know. I think I play well in Opens. These last few years I've played a lot better, I think I've finally figured out how to play a little bit, so I think I'll do better these next couple years.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you for joining us.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Kenny, for joining us for a few minutes back here to defend your second title in two weeks, and it looks like you did pretty well last week at the Bank of America Colonial, finishing T12. Why don't you just talk about coming back and defending the title and the feelings that you have.

KENNY PERRY: Well, this is just a special place for me since I won here in 91. To me, to be the first victory winning at this place will always have a special place in your heart. Definitely it is a defining moment in my career, which kind of established that I was good enough to compete and be competitive out here.

So every time I come back and set foot on this property I have special feelings and I always look forward to coming every year.

Q. I have a question about the Ryder Cup, and obviously you're in the running at this point seriously. What have you heard about the Ryder Cup? If you make it, what are you looking forward to? Could you just talk a little bit about that?

KENNY PERRY: Well, I've played in two Presidents Cups, but they say -- the guys I've talked to who have played the Ryder Cup, they say it's totally different. The atmosphere is different. They're more like the guys you play against, Vijay, Ernie, they're all my friends, Nick Price, and we're pretty much buddy-buddy, so The Presidents Cup is more of a gentlemen's game. The guys tell me when it comes to the Ryder Cup it's really serious; they're out to win. There's not a lot of talking between the two teams, there's not a lot happening.

I'm anxious to see what it's going to be all about. That's kind of been my only goal this year, is to make that Ryder Cup team. I've pretty much done everything I wanted to do out here.

I've been in the tenth spot twice going into the PGA and got bumped out on the last day, so I've had my heart kind of cut out a little bit making the Ryder Cup team. I've realistically got a great shot. I think I've earned enough points to make that team already. I'm looking forward to the challenge. Hal Sutton is going to be a great captain. I really enjoyed playing for Jack and for Arnold. That was pretty awesome to have them as my captains, so it's going to be -- it's just a challenge for me, just something different instead of the same. I've been out here 18 years, so it's not another tournament, so it'll definitely be something that will challenge me mentally, as well as physically, because you play 36 holes and I'm turning 44 here so I'm not going to be the youngest out there.

Q. When you think of the Ryder Cup do you think of --

KENNY PERRY: I guess the one that sticks out is Justin Leonard's putt and everybody running out to the green. I guess that's the one that sticks in my head the most.

Q. What's the most nervous you've ever been on the golf course?

KENNY PERRY: In a tournament or like The Presidents Cup?

Q. Anything, any type of playing.

KENNY PERRY: I would say the most nervous I ever was was at the PGA in 96 trying to make that four-footer for par to win the tournament. I can still remember how nervous my hands -- I just didn't have any control over my hands. It only was about a two, three-inch break right to left four feet straight up the hill, and I shanked it. I hit a terrible putt. That was probably the most nervous I've ever been.

Q. You've heard the stories about guys not being able to work up a sweat on the first tee at the Ryder Cup -- I'm sorry, work up a spit, whatever they say in Kentucky. You wanted to win at the Presidents Cup, though? You played with Nick Price the last day?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, I had Nick on Sunday. We had a great match. We only tied three holes out of 18, so that was quite an emotional roller coaster ride. I had gotten 3-up twice in the match and he'd get it back to even. That was pretty emotional coming into the last hole. I knew we were down. We got killed on Saturday and we needed my point and I was one of the early guys out so it's important for the early guys to get you some momentum, and I knew how much that point meant to us. It would have been a tough loss if I would have lost that match being 3-up twice.

I hated to see Nick miss it, because I felt like the match was a draw. We both fought so hard. It was nice we won the point. We needed it.

Q. Did you ever see Nick react like that before?

KENNY PERRY: Never have. He was into it, too. We were battling. We both wanted to win.

Q. People like Riley and Jerry Kelly and Flesch and whoever keep talking about these notes that Hal is leaving in their locker. For guys that are pretty much already on the team, are you getting anything from him?

KENNY PERRY: I haven't received anything from him yet.

Q. That's probably a good sign.

KENNY PERRY: I guess, I don't know.

Q. I haven't been on the course much yet, but I keep hearing about these bugs out there.

KENNY PERRY: Incredible. I had two instances yesterday that was hilarious. The 8th hole I had the club pulled back about a quarter of the way back and I had one fly right under my arm, right here, and he just went right under my eyes as the club was going back and I kind of flinched and I hit it, but it was just a horrible golf shot, and I hit it way left over there left of the green. And I told my son -- and my son is caddying for me this week -- "Did you see that?" And he said, "Yeah, it went right under your arm."

A guy putted one, a 15-footer, and the ball hit one of those dudes and it jumped that high in the air and stopped right beside it. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. They could actually play a role in this tournament this week, they really could. They could actually alter a shot. Somebody's shot is going to probably get altered this week or get distracted or something. That noise was deafening yesterday. I've never heard a noise like that in my life.

Q. You don't have those in Kentucky?

KENNY PERRY: I guess not. I thought we had them. I remember the shells left on trees and stuff as a kid growing up, but I've never seen anything like this or heard that noise, ever.

Q. Do we need a local rule this week?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, we do (laughter), a redo. If they affect your shot you can do-over.

Q. How often has your son caddied for you this year?

KENNY PERRY: Just once, at THE PLAYERS. We finished 3rd. If I could have just picked the right club that he suggested on a couple par 5s. I was playing a little cautious, he wanted me to be aggressive, and I made pars where I could have made eagles.

Q. Who else are you using this year?

KENNY PERRY: I've used Andy Lanos a couple weeks, the guy who caddied for me for ten years, and Justin, and Billy Glidden, my buddy's caddie, and then Freddie, who caddied most of the first part of the year.

Q. Are you pretty much done with Freddie?

KENNY PERRY: Yeah, we're done. He's working for Hank Kuehne now.

Q. What will you do for the U.S. Open?

KENNY PERRY: Andy is going to caddie for me there.

Q. The British, you have to go back there again?

KENNY PERRY: Exactly.

Q. You missed out on a lot of good years there, Kenny?

KENNY PERRY: I did. I'm going to have my experience over the next few years.

Q. Do you have a favorite U.S. Open memory, either one that you played in or one that you remember watching on TV?

KENNY PERRY: Good question. I've missed so many cuts in those U.S. Opens, I don't have a lot of good memories playing them. I finished, I guess it was, 3rd last year. That was my best tournament ever there in Chicago. You know, the one I remember the most probably watching on TV was Kite's win at Pebble Beach. That's the one that stands out with the weather conditions so poor and the golf course playing so hard and scores were so high. That's about it.

Q. How many times have you done Shinnecock? Did you do both of them?

KENNY PERRY: No, 95 is the only time I've played there. I missed the cut. Typical (laughter).

Q. Why is that, do you think?

KENNY PERRY: I don't know. I don�t think I play well in Opens. These last few years I've played a lot better, I think I've finally figured out how to play a little bit, so I think I'll do better these next couple years.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you for joining us.

End of FastScripts.
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