Insider: Percy preps for victory, home game
By John Dell, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent PGATOUR.COM
Cameron Percy is starting to think he's got somewhat of a complex.
In 2010 on the PGA TOUR, he lost to Jonathan Byrd in a playoff when Byrd made a hole-in-one to win the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Then, earlier this month in the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation, Nick Flanagan got a break when his approach hit off a cameraman on the 18th green and ricocheted onto the green where Flanagan made the birdie putt to get into the playoff with Percy.
Flanagan won the playoff and Percy was left wondering what happened.
"My wife was watching at home and she couldn't believe it," Percy said about the bounce that didn't go his way. "So I've lost a playoff on a hole-in-one and now this. I'm starting to wonder a little bit."
Percy, 38, will try to bounce back this week at The Rex Hospital Open at the TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, N.C. The best part for Percy is there will be no travel, no hotels and very little hassle to and from the course.
Percy and his wife, Katie, and their three young boys live less than a mile from the first tee in what is the ultimate home game.
"Yeah, it will be nice to sleep in my own bed," said Percy, who despite the loss to Flanagan has moved up to sixth on the Nationwide Tour money list.
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Percy keeps knocking on the door looking for that first victory.
He also had a tie for second in Panama earlier this season, and loves the way he's hitting the ball.
"The way I played (two weeks) ago was good enough to win," Percy said. "That gives me plenty of confidence and I've been striking the ball very well."
He says if his putting would come around a little more he would be even more optimistic about this week. While he ranks 18th on Tour in putting average, he is 40th in putts per round.
Percy, who is from Australia, is no stranger to the Nationwide Tour. This is his fourth full season and he's also spent a full season on the PGA Tour in 2010. Last season he split time on the two tours, but says he's comfortable making the most of his chance on the Nationwide Tour this season.
Coming off the loss to Flanagan, Percy is more determined to get that elusive Nationwide Tour victory.
Being so close to home will offer Percy a unique week and he's looking forward to it. He will have a full house with friends and fellow Nationwide Tour players Michael Sim and Steve Allan staying with him.
Sometimes, having a home game can be a disadvantage, but Percy doesn't see it that way.
One of the luxuries is he'll be around for his oldest son's birthday party on Friday. Liam turns 6 that day and the Percys also have Ashton, who is 3, and Tyler, who is 10 months old.
"It will be nice because we don't get to see him play that much anymore," Katie said about having her husband home for the week. "I might bring the kids out to watch some but they won't understand about being behind the ropes so we'll see."
Katie says that her husband is due.
"Cam joked about it a little bit that he's lost to a guy who made a hole-in-one and to another one who hits a ball off a cameraman," Katie said. "But I think he's due to have a change with his luck."
Cameron says knowing his family is close and that a lot of friends will be there will make him feel a little more at ease. But there is also the reality of being home with three small children.
"We'll be up at 6:30 a.m. every morning so that late afternoon tee time might not be all that great," Percy said.
The Percys spend 11 months in North Carolina but in December usually travel to Australia to see friends and family. And as the family has grown it's been harder and harder to bring the entire brood on the road to tournaments.
Percy admits to feeling homesick for Australia from time to time but he also misses life at home in Raleigh.
"You miss the little things like when our youngest started to crawl I was on the road playing somewhere," Percy said. "You have to kill a lot of time on the road when we aren't playing or practicing so it's tough."
With life so busy at home Percy admits it's hard to practice for long stretches. On his twitter feed @Cameronpercy1 his intro reads: "I play golf when I have time."
Percy has been down this road before as he tries to finish inside the top 25 on the money list by the end of the season. He accomplished that goal in 2009 by finishing eighth and punching his ticket to the PGA TOUR for 2010.
With the restructuring of the Nationwide Tour taking place after this season he hopes to be in the final class that gets a PGA TOUR card.
"Guys talk about it a lot and we all want to be in that top 25 especially since they are changing things after this season," he said.
As a veteran of both tours he's combined to make close to $2 million but Percy's only regret is he and Katie didn't have a real honeymoon. They have been married for 10 years but then the children started coming and it hasn't been easy to get away.
"When we first got married we had no money because I was just kind of starting out," Percy said. "So yeah, we want to take that second honeymoon, and Katie really deserves it."
.ohn Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 18 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. You can reach him at [johndell@triad.rr.com].
