Meet the Americans: Kenny Perry

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Kenny Perry is making his fourth Presidents Cup appearance.

Oct. 1, 2009

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A funny thing happened to Kenny Perry when he turned 40 in 2000. At an age when many TOUR veterans turn their eyes towards the Champions Tour, Perry became a serious force for younger players to reckon with. He won 11 times on TOUR after turning 40, including twice this season. He was also named to three Presidents Cup and two Ryder Cup teams. All this isn't to suggest that Perry's post-40 success came out of nowhere. He had won three times since joining the TOUR full-time 1987 and had established a reputation as a solid ball-striker. His first win came at one of the TOUR's premier events, the Memorial Tournament, in 1991 when he beat three-time U.S. Open winner Hale Irwin in a playoff.

The Perry file

FULL NAME: James Kenneth Perry

HEIGHT: 6-2

WEIGHT: 205

BIRTHDATE: Aug. 10, 1960

BIRTHPLACE: Elizabethtown, Ky.

RESIDENCE: Franklin, Ky.; plays out of Country Creek GC

FAMILY: Wife, Sandy; Lesslye (5/20/84), Justin (11/23/85), Lindsey (4/27/88)

EDUCATION: Western Kentucky University

SPECIAL INTERESTS: Harley Davidson motorcycles, drag racing, restoring Chevrolet muscle cars

TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1982

Q SCHOOL: Fall 1986

Personal info

Kenny Perry took up golf at age 7 with encouragement from his father, who spent hours teeing balls up for him. He has earned a spot in the Western Kentucky University and Kentucky Golf halls of fame. He was named winner of the 2002 Charles Bartlett Award, which is given to a professional golfer for his unselfish contributions to the betterment of society by the Golf Writers Association of America. Perry donates five percent of his winnings to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., to provide scholarships for Simpson County students. Perry also took out a loan to build Country Creek, a public course in his hometown of Franklin, Ky. In 1995, Perry bought 142 acres of land and borrowed more than $2.5 million to design and build the only public course in the town. He designed it for mid-to-high handicappers and kept it affordable: 18 holes with a cart is $28 on weekdays. He works from time to time behind the counter and is often asked, Do you know Kenny Perry?

Playing record

PGA TOUR VICTORIES: (14) 1991 Memorial Tournament. 1994 New England Classic. 1995 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. 2001 Buick Open. 2003 Bank of America Colonial, the Memorial Tournament, Greater Milwaukee Open. 2005 Bay Hill Invitational presented by MasterCard, Bank of America Colonial. 2008 the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley, Buick Open, John Deere Classic. 2009 FBR Open, Travelers Championship.

2009 PGA TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: Kenny Perry opened the season with a tie for sixth at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. He made a 22-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Charley Hoffman and win the FBR Open in February. It was his 13th PGA TOUR victory and, at age 48, he became the oldest player to win the event, surpassing Julius Boros who was 46 when he won in 1967. He lost to Angel Cabrera on the second playoff hole at the Masters Tournament after Chad Campbell was eliminated with a bogey on the first playoff hole. Perry shot a final-round 63 to finish with a tournament-record 258 to win the Travelers Championship by three strokes over Paul Goydos and David Toms. With the win, he moved into first place in the FedExCup standings. The win gave him five wins in just over a year, the most of any player on TOUR.

NATIONAL TEAMS: The Presidents Cup (4), 1996, 2003, 2005, 2009; Ryder Cup (2), 2004, 2008

PRESIDENTS CUP RECORD: 7-6-0

RYDER CUP RECORD: 2-3-1

COMBINED RECORD: 9-9-1

All-time playing partners

Stewart Cink (1 Four-ball; 1 Foursomes RC)

Jim Furyk (2 Foursomes RC, 1 Four-ball RC)

Scott Hoch (1 Four-ball)

Jerry Kelly (1 Foursomes, 1 Four-ball)

Justin Leonard (2 Foursomes)

Davis Love III (2 Foursomes, 2 Four-ball)