Perry hopes hot start rekindles his sizzling summer streak

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ST. LOUIS -- That Tiger Woods fellow wouldn't be playing any more, so Kenny Perry entered the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup effectively leading the standings.

Kenny Perry was hitting his irons right at the flag all day Friday. (Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Perry thru 18 Holes

Category Total Rank Eagles 0 N/A Birdies 7 2 Pars 8 T66 Bogeys 3 T20 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 85.7% T7 Driving Distance 288.5 yds. T17 Greens in Regulation 77.8% T17 Putts per Round 27.0 T2 Putts per GIR 1.500 2 Sand Saves 0.0% T26

At the midway point of the Playoffs, though, Perry likely needs to win this week's BMW Championship -- as well as the finale at East Lake -- to earn that $10 million FedExCup bonus that would cover a lot of green fees back home at Country Creek, the municipal course he built in Franklin, Tenn.

That's how volatile these Playoffs have been.

An admittedly streaky player, Perry hasn't been able to maintain the level of play that staked him to three wins in five starts earlier this summer. He tied for 48th and 80th in the first two Playoffs events and has tumbled down to seventh in the standings.

Meanwhile, Vijay Singh has played like Perry was -- winning three of his last five starts, including both of the first two Playoff events, to take over the No. 1 spot. He owns a 16,786-point advantage over Perry, as a result.

"I've got to do the magic to win," Perry acknowledged. "I've got to win this week and the following week to win (the FedExCup). That's hard to do out here. Guys are good. You've got to think about it, I've only won 12 times my whole career. It's hard for me to get one win, much less two in a row.

"I'm just enjoying playing golf. I'm just trying to get ready for the Ryder Cup, and if this FedEx comes in there, that's just a bonus."

Perry much-avowed goal this year was making that U.S. Team for the biennial matches to be played two weeks from now at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville in his native Kentucky. He played his way onto the team with that hot summer streak -- despite playing just one round in a major -- and then plunged into his own private version of the "Big Chill."

The 48-year-old veteran appears to be warming up now, though, after opening with a 66 at Bellerive Country Club on Friday. He will start Saturday's 36-hole marathon tied with Steve Stricker, Tim Herron, Andres Romero and Stuart Appleby and just one stroke behind the leader, Camilo Villegas.

Oh, and Singh? He's tied for 37th at even par.

"I played great," Perry said. "I've been hitting the ball beautifully the past week. I drove it great. I made seven birdies, three bogeys and had a lot of more opportunities out there. The golf course was pretty wet, pretty gettable. I was surprised the scores aren't lower."

Perry said he felt in the "groove" from the get-go. That said, he had a bit of an up-and-down first nine, his back, with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 13 and a trio of birdies, including an 11-footer at the par-5 17th, to turn in 1 under.

A sizzling start on the front nine thrust Perry to the top of the leaderboard, though. He rolled in birdie putts of 5, 18 and 6 feet on his first three holes. He found the rough on the fourth hole, had to chip back to the fairway and couldn't save par, but compensated for that with a 14-footer for his final birdie at No. 5

"I was just hitting all my irons at the flag," Perry said. "I was in a good groove right off the start, right off the 10th tee. I drilled it right down the middle and my swing felt good. I felt comfortable over the ball. It was just easy. It was a fun day."

Perry enjoyed his pairing, too. He played with his soon-to-be Ryder Cup teammates, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim. The competition at Valhalla was a hot topic of conversation, as was what Perry called a "pancake" of a silver ball marker that Mickelson was using.

"We were very relaxed," Perry said. "We were having a good time out there. Great pairing for me. I played with Phil last week and played good with him the first two rounds. When you're very relaxed and having fun and we're all hitting it well, so we're all looking forward to two weeks from this week."

One thing Perry, who spent part of Thursday's rain delay at the movie theater seeing "Traitor," isn't looking forward to, though, is playing 36 holes on Saturday.

"This is a big golf course and the zoysia fairways will definitely slow your walking down, make your feet heavy at the end of the day," Perry said. He called saturday's marathon a "young man's game."

If he can maintain his concentration, though, the 48-year-old feels like he can continue to contend. Friday, though, he was trying not to look ahead.

"Well, that's just a start, a long way to go, 72 holes," Perry said. "Nobody misses the cut (this week). .. It could have been better. It was a very good round. It was a very relaxing and very fun round of golf."