Perry turns 50; Champions Tour debut later this year?

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Kenny Perry has 14 wins on the PGA TOUR; his last one was the Travelers Championship in 2009.

Kenny Perry turned 50 years old on Tuesday, which means he's now eligible to compete on the Champions Tour.

The 14-time winner on the PGA TOUR said it's possible he will play a few Champions Tour events later this year, depending on how far he advances in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Perry is currently 64th in FedExCup points, which means he'll probably play at least the first two Playoffs events. Perry finished ninth in the FedExCup last year and 15th the previous year.

"If I don't advance very far in that deal, you'll probably see me sneak over and play two or three events on the Champions Tour just to see what that's all about," Perry said during last week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, in which he finished tied for 19th.

If Perry doesn't advance past the Deutsche Bank Championship, he could opt to take a week off and then make his Champions Tour debut in North Carolina at the SAS Championship. He could also attempt to qualify for the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in early October. The Texas portion of the schedule -- the Administaff Small Business Classic outside of Houston and the AT&T Championship in San Antonio -- might also appeal to him.

Perry won five events in the previous two years, but 2010 has not been as successful for him. After tying for sixth in the limited-field season-opening SBS Championship, he has failed to record a top-10 finish in his last 17 starts.

"I guess I've been a little lazy is probably the best word," Perry said about this year. "I'm not practicing nearly like I used to practice, spending all the time out there. ...

"It just seems like I just don't want to get after it like I used to. I don't want to just try to kill myself like I did, and it's showing. I don't seem like I hit the golf shots I used to hit -- I'm accustomed to hitting, what I've seen from me to hit."

But the Champions Tour could re-charge his batteries, as he becomes the latest high-profile player to join the 50-and-over crowd.

Perry, who has exempt status on the PGA TOUR through 2014, said he will continue to play the TOUR events at the courses he enjoys and has the most success on, such as the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley.

He said his wife, Sandy, will be a big influence on how he juggles his schedule.

"If she enjoys the Champions Tour, we'll spend more time over there," Perry said earlier this year, "but if she still likes it over here better, you'll see me playing over here more.

"It's not going to be a money thing or anything like that. It'll just be where me and her enjoy spending our week. That's kind of how we're going to approach, I think, the Champions Tour."