Who cares if Kenny Perry doesn't play in the British Open?

Jul 14

Who cares if Kenny Perry doesn't play in the British Open?

Kenny Perry isn’t being selfish, he’s not slapping tradition in the face and he’s not risking his Ryder Cup spot by not playing in the British Open this week at Royal Birkdale.

I’m siding with those who are telling Perry to stick to his guns and compete in the PGA Tour event he already committed to playing in well before he started going gangbusters in 2008 (and can someone tell Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN they don’t serve “luke warm beer” in any decent pub in England anymore? I’ve never had a pint anywhere in the UK that wasn’t cold. They even serve Guiness Extra Cold over there).

Perry is 47. He is also not Jack Nicklaus, who won the Masters at 46. He’s competed in 22 British Opens and he doesn’t think he can play well in this one. So let him compete on U.S. soil instead.

Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger shouldn’t even think twice about putting Perry on the Ryder Cup roster. He’s won three times on tour and the Cup isn’t hosted on a links course (come to think of it, you have to wonder if it will ever be hosted on a links course in the U.K. again - what with all the snazzy, parkland resorts like K Club, Celtic Manor and Gleneagles scooping up venues. A links course hasn’t hosted the Ryder Cup since Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1977). Perry is a Kentucky native and nearly won the PGA Championship when it was staged at Valhalla.

People aren’t going to be crying in their Birkdale beers about the absence of Perry. I hope Perry beats another diluted field at this week’s U.S. Bank Championship too. Though given the state of banks these days, lets just hope the check clears.

« British Open pick: Sergio Garcia (as usual)

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14 comments

§ Kiel Christianson said on : 07/14/08 @ 20:50
Agreed. And precious little irks me more than people who haven't been to Europe since the 1960s talking about the "lukewarm beer." Utter nonsense.
§ Ron Mon® said on : 07/14/08 @ 20:55
Word to that. I will take my beer out of the fridge and serve Wojohowitz a lukewarmie if that's wha' his wee heart desires. No craaaaap about that non-links course thing in Europe. Won't be happening, unless Castle Course gets it. Why don' ya bastards link to me and give me credit for broachin' this topic fahrst?
§ Brandon said on : 07/14/08 @ 21:08
I don't think the Castle Course would get it because there is no resort there - and who would want to play a big event within a mile of the Old and NOT ON the Old?

I would say the next links course to get it could be the Trump Aberdeen potential development.
§ The Armchair Golfer said on : 07/14/08 @ 22:13
A 47-year-old guy sets a goal, makes a commitment and wins a few golf tournaments. He does everything he wants to do -- has a resurgence that adds interest to the PGA Tour -- and people are all over him. Dare I say there are more important things in life than winning a major? I respect him for sticking to his plan.
§ Dave said on : 07/15/08 @ 14:48
I agree with you all. He has committed himself to playing in the States this week, and to fulfill that is honourable. He is doubtless one of the favourites to win the U.S. Bank Championship, whereas I couldn't see him winning The Open in all fairness.

I do hope the Ryder Cup is played on a links course again (a British one). I'd love to see it played played over Carnoustie, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Royal St. George's, or this week's focal point, Royal Birkdale.

Yeah, what's all this lukewarm beer nonsense all about? I'm from the northeast of England, and had no idea what it was at all. Beer is best served chilled :)

By the way, has anybody taken a look at the Castle Course in St. Andrews? How's it shaping up?
§ Chris Baldwin said on : 07/15/08 @ 15:07
Hey Brandon buddy ole' pal. You don't have anywhere near as many hits as I do on my blogs the last three days.

Come on over and check out my chipmunk smile. Just watch out, for some reason the ground squirrels, chipmunks, and gofers are going into estrus over here everytime I step on a golf course.
§ Shanks said on : 07/15/08 @ 15:22
Pardon me but I'll hold my applause. I’m tired of hearing about Perry’s plan. He’s making a big mistake by passing on what is one of the best chances he'll ever have to win a major. He's hot and Tiger is out. Nobody in the world is playing better and it's on the most straightforward links course in the rota. He has a few top finishes in the Open already in his career so it's not like he doesn't play links well. The Ryder Cup spot was already guaranteed before last week so a change in “the plan” was definitely in order. You do earn Ryder Cup points in the Open too. It’s understood that all who qualify are released from their obligation to play in a weak field event once they qualify for a Major Championship. And it’s very unlikely that scores of fans rushed out to buy tickets to Milwaukee because they heard Kenny Perry was in the field.
§ Dave said on : 07/15/08 @ 17:37
The most straightforward links on the rota? I can't agree with you there.

Even if it is 'straightforward,' remember that its straightforward to everyone in the field, not just Perry!
§ Shanks said on : 07/16/08 @ 09:30
Nick Faldo described Royal Birkdale that way. There are fewer odd bounces and most of the course is right in front of you. Perhaps Muirfield is close to the same thing but I don't think the fairways are as level.
§ BV said on : 07/16/08 @ 15:34
BTuck, to answer your title's question - I don't care even a little bit. YAWN

Have you noticed these weirdo Dallas/Irving/Arlington rednecks creeping into everyone's comments? Guess Baldy caused more consternation than that guy who hit the golfballs at the bird a couple months back...LOL
§ Dave said on : 07/16/08 @ 16:00
If Faldo said it, fair enough.

Royal Liverpool and the Old Course were the kind of courses I had in mind for straightforwardness.
§ Shanks said on : 07/17/08 @ 07:31
Dave, I have to wonder if you have played the old Course. I have and straightforward is not a word I'd use to describe it. All I can say is thank God for those caddies.
§ Dave said on : 07/18/08 @ 21:20
Shanks, I have not played the Old Course. It may not be straightforward to you, but it is clear that the professionals these days don't find it quite so much a challenge as they used to. It's quite an easy course compared to Carnoustie, Lytham, and I dare say the rest of the Open rota. By the way, is Royal Liverpool on the rota permanently?
§ Jackie Stewart said on : 07/19/08 @ 00:28
I am unimpressed by Kenny Perry. It always troubles me when players focus on MAKING the Ryder Cup team, because when that is the goal, they are satisfied with making the team. Like when sports teams say they want to make the Super Bowl or get to the World Series. No, the goal is to WIN those events. So what will Kenny DO for the team? So he's from Kentucky and wants to play Valhalla in front of what he thinks will be adoring fans. What if he throws a 1-4 or 0-5 record out there?

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Brandon Tucker