Musings: Perry shoots final round 66 to win Buick

Kenny Perry has pursued a spot on the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team like a presidential candidate pursuing the White House. He’s geared his schedule around amassing Ryder Cup points. He’s been brutally honest about the fact that, in his mind, the Ryder Cup supersedes all else — majors, money lists, FedExCup points, you name it.

His laser-beam focus on that prize has paid off. After a win at this weekend’s Buick Open, the hottest golfer on the planet is all but assured a trip to his home state to represent the U.S. at Louisville’s Valhalla Country Club in September.

Perry charged from three strokes back with a final-round 66 that included a holed bunker shot for an eagle, posting a 19-under total, then watched as Woody Austin three-putted for bogey and Bubba Watson failed to convert a tying birdie putt on the 72nd hole. With that, Perry earned his 11th career win, joining Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as this season’s only multiple winners. His second win in four weeks was also his eighth win since turning 40.

Since shooting an 81 in the final group on Sunday at the Players Championship, Perry has scorched the courses of the PGA Tour with a scoring average of 68.8 over his last six events. For the season, he’s second in scoring (69.56), fourth in earnings and third in FedExCup points on the PGA Tour.

It’s been an epic stretch for the onetime journeyman. Over the last two months, Perry has played in the final group at the Players; lost in a playoff at the AT&T Classic; won the Memorial; posted a top 25 at the Stanford St. Jude; finished tied for sixth at the Travelers; and won the Buick Open.

“It’s been an incredible run,” he said. “We’ve been on the leaderboard every week that I’ve been playing. I’ve seen my name up on the board, and you know, I’ve been a streaky player. That has just kind of been the history of my career. When I get hot, I get hot.”

Turns out a spot on the Ryder Cup team has been a pretty enticing carrot. It doesn’t hurt that Perry also feels Valhalla owes him one; it was the site of his 1996 PGA Championship loss in a playoff to Mark Brooks. “(I) just feel like I needed to go back there,” Perry said. “I want to go back, end of my career, it’s the icing on the cake for me to be able to play at my age. I’ll be 48 when it comes, and just in front of my home folks, just something I wanted to do.”

With the Ryder Cup spot virtually sewn up, Perry is free to cast a glance at the other spoils of victory on the PGA Tour. He’s now only seven points behind Phil Mickelson in the FedExCup points race, and with leader Tiger Woods on the sidelines, the top prize is in Perry’s sights. “With Tiger out, you know, it’s just a great opportunity for an old guy here to actually steal some money in that FedExCup, so that’s what we’re after now,” he said.

In a sign of the stubbornness that has delivered Perry his top goal for the season, he’s not going to alter his upcoming schedule, either. After skipping sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open, Perry will also miss the British Open, instead honoring his commitment to play in that week’s U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, where he’s a past champion and will likely receive a hero’s welcome.

The fans in Grand Blanc, Mich., gave Perry a taste of what he can expect at Valhalla. “All these people this week were pulling for me. I’ve never heard my name called out so many times on the golf course,” he said. “For some reason this week the fans were really behind me. That was a neat feeling, and that’s what I’m going to feel at Valhalla, and it’s definitely something I can draw on for sure that week.”

Park’s Place

Inbee Park was inspired to take up golf at age nine, when fellow South Korean Se Ri Pak won the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open. Now, 10 years later, Park has replaced Pak as the youngest player ever to win the Open.

Park, two weeks shy of her 20th birthday, played bogey-free golf over the last 10 holes while players around her were butchering the Interlachen layout in Edina, Minn. She finished at 9-under 283, posting a four-stroke win over Helen Alfredsson. “She played fantastic,” Alfredsson said of Park. “She was very calm, never changed anything. And really, that’s very impressive for a 19-year-old. She’s going to win a lot more.”

“Really, I can’t believe I just did this, especially with all these big names on the trophy that have been very, very successful with the golf,” Park said in her makeshift English. “Hopefully, I’ll put a couple of my names on there. It will be great.”

Just as stunning as Park’s breakthrough win was Paula Creamer’s collapse. Creamer, who entered the final round one shot behind Cinderella third-round leader Stacy Lewis, went out in 41 on her way to a final-round 78. “It’s probably the most disappointed I’ve been in a very long time,” she said.

Though she was far off the pace, Annika Sorenstam supplied a little drama in her final U.S. Women’s Open. Needing a minor miracle to avoid a final-round 80, Sorenstam produced precisely that, dunking a 199-yard 6-iron into the cup for a final-hole eagle and a 78. “Leaving with another great memory, that’s for sure,” said Sorenstam, who’s retiring at the end of the season. “Maybe not the one I had in mind, but I’ll take it.”

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