Rooting For Kenny Perry

May 29, 2008

Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch says that in the absence of Tiger Woods, golf fans could do worse than root for Kenny Perry:

A golf world without Tiger Woods creates a lot of free-agent fans.

Fans dismayed over Woods’ slow recovery from knee surgery could seek out the largest gallery at the Memorial Tournament and pretend Woods is out there somewhere—if they’re real Tiger fans, they’ve probably been there before—or they could root for someone else. But it can be hard to work up the same passion for Ryuji Imada.

As a service, we offer an alternative: two-time Memorial champion Kenny Perry.

Perry, from Franklin, Ky., gives egocentric pro athletes a bad name; he gives 5 percent of his winnings to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., to provide scholarships for Simpson County (Ky.) students and borrowed $2.5 million to build an affordable, public golf course for the regular duffers in his hometown. A win at Muirfield Village this week would also mean a lot to him.

I’ve liked the guy since I read about his golf course gift to his hometown. While the big names build resort courses for high rollers, Perry builds one for his drinking buddies.